dark for them. We had a hard pull to get
over here, and when poor Hackenhaven was gobbled up both of us felt
bad, I can tell you."

It was now seen that both sailors were almost exhausted, and Captain
Blossom allowed them to rest, while Dick prepared a pot of coffee.
While they were drinking, Gibson told them the particulars of how
the mate had made himself leader of the sailors now left on the wreck.

CHAPTER XXIX

THE BURNING OF THE WRECK

"When Lesher and Baxter got back to where they left us they were very
bitter against you," began Gibson. "They told us that you had tried
to make them work like niggers, fixing up this house. They said that
they wanted to come right back and bring us here, but you wouldn't
let them go until the house was finished."

"Which is not true, as all of us here know," said Captain Blossom.

"Lesher also said that you were angry at us for leaving the ship
before the rest, and that you had said you would have us all tried
for mutiny the first chance you got. Baxter said the same, and also
told us that you were going to dump all the rum and other liquor into
the ocean, so that the mate and none of the others could get a drop
of it while they stayed on the islands."

"I didn't say that, but I did say that Lesher Shouldn't have all he
wanted," replied the captain.

"This sort of talk made most of the sailors wild," went on Gibson.
"Then Lesher made a speech to them, and they voted to stick by him
through thick and thin and not let you rule them. He promised them
all the liquor they wanted, and told them that if they stuck by him
the whole lot could swear in court that they had found the wreck
deserted, so that they could get whatever was coming in the way of
salvage. Then he handed around some liquor he had brought along, and
some pistols, and most of them said they would stick to him, as I
said before."

"What about going directly to the wreck?" asked Tom.

"That was Baxter's idea, and it wasn't thought of until we were on
our way to this spot. Baxter said that if we captured the ship we
would have you at our mercy, for sooner or later your provisions
would run out, and you'd be begging for something to eat."

"The scoundrel!" cried Dick. "So he thought to starve us into
submission, eh? Well, he shan't do it."

"I said I didn't think it would be fair on the young ladies," continued
Gibson. "But he told me he'd take care of the girls after he had
brought you to your knees