AND."

"Let 'em get out if they can," advised Hank, grimly. "This for the
feet, or the head, of the first roustabout that shows himself!"

Joe now raced forward to set the motors in motion. Though the young
trio had temporary command of the deck, there was no telling how soon
they would be overwhelmed. Every moment must be made to count.

Captain Tom, grasping his stick, stood by to help Hank in case the
furious ones below succeeded in breaking out.

Hardly any time passed before the rhythmic chugging of the motors came
to the young skipper's delighted ears. Then Joe waved his arms as a
signal from the raised deck forward. Halstead swiftly joined his chum.
Together they got the anchor up, stowing it well enough for the
present.

"Now, you'd better get back to Hank, hadn't you?" quivered Joe. "I can
handle speed and the wheel, too."

"Bless you, old Joe!" murmured Captain Tom, fervently, and raced aft.
Dawson leaped to the wheel, at the same time setting one of the bridge
controls so that the "Restless" began to move forward under slow
speed. This move came just in time, for, even in the cove, the water
had motion enough to threaten the yacht with grounding.

But now alert Joe Dawson swung the boat's head around, pointing her
nose out of the cove.

"Get that hatch down in a hurry!" sounded Anson Dalton's hoarse
voice, imperiously. "If you don't, we'll all be tight in a worse trap
than this."

Blows with fists and feet resounded once more. Then, after an
instant's pause, came the slower, harder thump-thump which told that
one of the strongest of those caught below was using his shoulder,
instead. Soon two cracks seamed the surface of the hatch door.

"Good! Go at it hard!" encouraged the voice of Dalton. "Batter it
down. It will be worth money--and freedom--to you and to us all!"

"Yes, just clear a passage, and see what happens!" roared back Tom
Halstead, as soon as he could make his own voice heard distinctly.

"Don't mind the talk of those boys!" warned Dalton, angrily, as there
came a pause in the shoulder assaults against the hatch.

With a grin Hank raised his iron hitching weight above his head,
hurling it down to the deck with crashing force. Then, still grinning,
he stooped to pick it up again.

That noisy thump on the deck timbers caused a brief ensuing silence
down in the cabin. It was plain that Dalton and his fellows were
wondering just how dangerous their reception would be in case they
suc