and Sammy's face brightened.

"Come on, Dot," he said, glancing back at the little girl. "There's a
ship and I guess there isn't anybody aboard. Anyhow, if there is, we'll
fight our way over the bulwarks, kill half the crew, and make the others
walk the plank. That is what pirates would do."

"Oo-ee!" squealed Dot--and she dropped the basket of fruit.

"Aw, say!" growled Sammy. "What kind of a pirate will _you_ make? Of
course we have to do what all pirates do."

But it was not anything to do with the true business of pirating that
had brought forth that squeal from Dot Kenway. Just as she had been
about to touch that peach again with her pink finger, where the sweet
juice was oozing out, a great ugly, yellow wasp came along and lit right
on that juicy spot!

"Oo-ee!" squealed Dot again. Sammy valiantly came to the rescue, and
beat away the "stinger" with his cap. But he carried the fruit himself,
as well as the bag of other provisions, the rest of the way to the
canalboat.

"Can't trust you with it, Dot," he declared. "You'd have the things all
mush if you dropped them every time you saw a bee."

"I don't like bees," declared his little comrade.

"And you was one yourself, once," grinned Sammy. "In that show, you
know."

"Oh, but I didn't sting anybody," the little girl replied. "I wouldn't
be so mean!"

"How do you know this fellow was going to sting you?" demanded Sammy.

"Why, Sammy Pinkney! Of course he was!" declared Dot, earnestly. "I--I
could see it right in his face! He was _so_ ugly."

The canalboat was high out of the water, for its hold was empty; but the
runaways climbed aboard easily. Sammy was as brave as a lion. He
proposed to take possession of the craft and drive ashore anybody who
might already be there. Only, there was nobody aboard.

"The crew maybe saw us coming and deserted her," he said to Dot. "Lots
of 'em do. When they see the Black Roger flying at our peak--"

"What's the Black Roger?" demanded Dot, big-eyed again. She was gaining
considerable information regarding pirates and "pirating."

"Our flag. And when the crews of the merchant ships see it, they
tremble," went on Sammy.

"But we haven't got any flag," said the rather literal Dot. "You know we
haven't, Sammy."

"Well," he returned cheerfully, "we'll have to make one. I made one
once. I got one of my father's handkerchiefs, and blacked it with ma's
liquid shoeblacking, all but white spots in the center for a skull a