ow," charged young Captain Halstead, "was in the very act of
cutting the aerial wires with a wire-nipper when I caught him. Why, I
can show you the nippers he had."

Tom wheeled, to make a quick search along the deck. Jasper grinned
covertly for he had thrown the nippers overboard in the struggle.

"You see!" flared the prisoner. "He talks about nippers--but where are
they?"

"Halstead," demanded Mr. Seaton, "do you intend to obey me by setting
this man free until I've had an opportunity to investigate all sides
of this remarkable charge?"

"No, sir, I do not," rejoined Halstead, quietly though firmly.

"Do you forget that I command here?" raged the charter-man.

"Pardon me, but you don't command," retorted Skipper Tom,
respectfully. "It is true that you have this boat under charter, but I
am the captain and one of the owners, and I must handle trouble aboard
in the manner that seems best. I caught this man in a treacherous
attempt to make our errand this afternoon quite useless. Jasper stays
in irons until we reach port. I'm sorry to be so stubborn with you,
Mr. Seaton, but, just now, you've a queer idea that I'm working
against you. I must save you, sir, even from your own blindness.
Hepton, will you help me take this fellow aft?"

"Surely," nodded the guard, who, while he had not seen the start of
the trouble, much preferred believing Halstead to Jasper.

Seeing that resistance might bring him nothing but a beating, Jasper
sulkily allowed himself to be led along the deck. Down into the cabin
he was taken, there to be thrust into the starboard stateroom. Joe,
from his wireless table at the forward end of the cabin, looked up
with much curiosity.

"He was trying to snip the wires in your aerial," Halstead explained,
after turning the key in the stateroom door.

"Glad you got him, then," nodded Dawson.

Mr. Seaton had followed as far as the doorway. There he halted, well
convinced that he could not, at present, persuade the young skipper to
change his mind.

"Now, if you'll be good enough to come up to the bridge deck, Mr.
Seaton, I want to explain matters to you, sir," proposed the captain
of the "Restless."

Rather stiffly the charter-man followed. Hepton, as though to show
further good faith, took pains to remain aft.

"Do you remember the other night, when we were coming back with the
guard for Lonely Island," began Tom, in a low voice, "that we found
one of the new guards leaning well over the dec