y eye on this craft ever since I've been in port. I've said a
dozen times that she'd get us into trouble, sooner or later, and now my
words are coming true. The whole harbor will be in a blaze in five
minutes. Peters," he added, turning to one of his men, "kick those young
sea-monkeys out of the way, and put out that fire."

Harry overheard the order, and so did Lieutenant Jackson, who at that
moment came up to report that the fire was being rapidly subdued. The
former was willing to take advice and to receive assistance, but he was
not the one to submit to any domineering, and he regarded the order as a
most unwarrantable interference, and, if the red-whiskered sea captain
had been of his own age, it is probable that he would have heard
something. But the first lieutenant, angry as he was, did not forget the
respect due to those older than himself.

"Captain," said he, mildly, "the galley is full of water, and there is
no necessity--"

"Shut up!" was the polite rejoinder. "Do you suppose that I am going to
leave so dangerous a thing as fire to the management of a lot of little
boys? Go down there, Peters."

"Mr. Jackson, you will allow no one to interfere with you," said Harry.

"Very good, sir," replied the lieutenant, who was in excellent fighting
humor, like all the rest of the yacht's company. "I'll look for him."

Peters ran down the ladder to execute the orders of his captain. The
first man he encountered was the boatswain's mate, who stood in front of
the galley holding the nozzle through a hole in the door, and directing
the stream of water upon the fire inside.

"Come, now, get out o' this!" roared Peters, trying to push the young
tar away from the door.

"Who are you? Get out o' this yourself," replied the boatswain's mate.

Peters, seeing that the boy was not disposed to be driven away from his
work, proceeded to carry out his orders to the very letter. His first
move was to fasten with both hands into the collar of the mate's jacket
and send him sprawling on the deck; his second, to throw open the door
that led into the galley. As the apartment had been flooded with water,
and the fire nearly drowned out, this did not endanger the little vessel
as it would have done a few minutes before, but the mate was none the
less angry.

"Well, douse my to'-gallant top-lights," he growled, "Here's a go."

"Wheeler," shouted the second lieutenant, from the deck, "close that
door at once."

"No words, now,"