asked the captain, in as steady a voice as he
could command.

"Of course he means it," said Dan Baxter. "He isn't a fool. We are
all going to stand by him, too," he added.

"That's right," came from part of the crew. Dick noticed that a few
of the others looked doubtful.

"I mean it, and I want you to leave right now," stormed Jack Lesher.
"I'll give you one minute in which to turn your boat around," and he
pulled out his watch.

"Might as well go back," whispered old Jerry. "You can't reason with
a lot of half-drunken men."

"Very well, we'll go back," said Captain Blossom loudly. "But,
remember, you haven't seen the end of this affair."

"And remember another thing," added Dick, in an equally loud voice:
"Don't any of you dare to come anywhere near our house. If you do,
you'll be sorry for it."

Then the three turned the boat around and rowed slowly back whence
they had come.

"The rascals!" muttered Captain Blossom, when they were out of hearing.
"Lesher and Baxter have poisoned the minds of the crew against me,
and have bought over the men with liquor."

"It's a mighty good thing ye put them stores in the cave," came from
old Jerry. "If ye hadn't we'd be a-wantin' a good many things in a
few days."

"That is true," answered Dick. "Dora told me they must have another
barrel of flour by day after to-morrow."

"How many at the cave?"

"Two."

"Well, it certainly was a good job done," said the captain. "But it
makes me boil to think they want to keep me off my own ship. On the
ocean that would be mutiny, and I could hang every mother's son of
them from the yardarm for it."

"Lesher must have told 'em some putty strong stories," said old Jerry.
"Otherwise the men wouldn't be so dead set ag'in ye, cap'n."

"No doubt he made out the strongest possible case."

"I wonder if they will stick to the wreck all the time," said Dick.
"They'll find it mighty hot when the sun shines."

"Oh, they'll most likely take some of the things ashore, and set up
a camp nearby, Rover."

"We'll have to watch them closely."

"I agree with you. Now we have two kinds of enemies--beasts and men,"
and the captain laughed bitterly.

The others were gathered on the shore awaiting their return, and they
listened attentively to what was told them.

"Oh, Lesher wanted to be leader, you could see that right off,"
declared Tom. "And Baxter will do anything to make it disagreeable
for us boys," he continued.

"Well, there is