"I--er--I suppose so."

"Very well, you can remove your things to the forecastle. Jack Lesher,
the first mate, will give you your bunk."

This was "adding insult to injury," as it is termed, so far as Baxter
was concerned, for it will be remembered that it was Jack Lesher who
had obtained the passage on the _Golden Wave_ for the bully.

But Dan Baxter was given no chance to demur. Taking his traps he went
on deck, where Jack Lesher met him, grinning in sickly fashion.

"So you are going to make a change, eh?" said the mate.

"You needn't laugh at me, if I am," growled Baxter.

"I shan't laugh, my boy. It's hard luck," said Lesher. "Come along."

He led the way to the forecastle and gave Baxter a bunk next to that
occupied by old Jerry. Then he brought out an old suit of sailor's
clothing and tossed it over.

"You've run in hard luck, boy," he said in a low voice, after he had
made certain that nobody else was within hearing. "I am sorry for you."

"Really?" queried Dan Baxter, giving the mate a sharp look.

"Yes, I am, and if I can do anything to make it easy for you, count
on me," went on Jack Lesher.

"Thank you."

"I suppose taking that money and the other things was more of boy's
sport than anything, eh?"

"That's the truth. I wanted to get square with those Rover boys. They
are my bitter enemies. I didn't want the money."

Just then old Jerry came in and the conversation came to an end. But
Baxter felt that he had a friend on board and this eased him a little.
He did not know that the reason Jack Lesher liked him was because
the first mate was a criminal himself and had once served a term in
a Michigan jail for knocking down a passenger on a boat and robbing
him of his pocketbook. As the old saying goes, "Birds of a feather
flock together."

When the girls came on deck they found Baxter doing some of the work
which Dick and Tom had been doing the morning before. At first they
were inclined to laugh, but Dora stopped herself and her cousins.

"Don't let us laugh at him," she whispered. "It is hard enough for
the poor fellow as it is."

"I am not going to notice him after this," said Nellie. "To me he
shall be an entire stranger." And the others agreed to treat Dan
Baxter in the same manner.

But the boys were not so considerate, and Tom laughed outright when
he caught sight of Baxter swabbing up some dirt on the rear deck.
This made the bully's passion arise on the instant and he caught up
h