e should have done it,
perhaps both of these things were accidents."

"Either one of them might have been, but is it likely that both were, and
that they happened at the same time? Of course not. You will find that
Herring or Merritt, or perhaps both, have had a hand in it. They don't
like you, and do everything to hurt you, and they don't care any more for
me than they do for you. Bother this tangle! It keeps you busy every
moment. I believe things grow up here in a night. There will be bare rocks
one day and a regular forest on them the next. It beats all how things do
grow in these tropical islands!"

Keeping on, now in sight of the water, and then having to leave it on
account of the thickness of the jungle, they pushed on till they saw the
yacht lying at anchor.

Descending to the shore at the risk of a bad fall, they hailed the vessel,
and presently some one put out in a boat and came toward them.

Bucephalus and old Ben Bowline were in the boat, the old sailor hailing
them when he neared the shore.

"Well, mateys, did you think you'd walk out to the yacht?" he asked. "The
old man was afraid you'd fallen in, and been gobbled up by sharks. Some of
the boys found the boat adrift, and brought it in. Don't you know how to
tie up a boat yet? I'll show you some knots if you don't know them."

"We know all the knots you can show us, Ben, and perhaps a good many
more," grunted Percival. "The boat was tied all right, but----"

"Wha' was yo' goin' to say, sah?" asked Bucephalus.

"Some one untied it," said Percival. "Who brought it back, Buck?"

"Ah donno, sah, Ah didn' saw dem, othahwise Ah could identify de pussons.
Have yo' any ideah as to deir pussonality you'se'f, sah?"

"I have an idea, but ideas can't hang a man. Anyhow, I don't want it to
get abroad that Jack Sheldon and I do not know how to tie up a boat or tie
any ordinary kind of knot. The whole Academy would laugh at us if that
notion got around."

"Ah reckon de 'cademy knows all abo't yo' an' Mistah Jack a'ready an' wha'
yo' done befo' dis," said the negro with a broad grin. "Ah reckon, too,
dat de story was a fabrication puah an' simple. Fact am, if Ah done tol' a
story lak dat folks would call it a lie witho't mincin' wo'ds."

"That's about what it was," said Percival, as he and Jack got into the
boat, and Bucephalus and Ben Bowline started to row them to the yacht.

"I had a comical adventure with a boat myself once, mateys, if you care to
hear