The Rover Boys on Land and Sea Part 41

"Now, see here, don't you put in your oar," said a fourth sailor.

"You don't count with us. It's the cap'n that was we're talkin' to."

"I am captain still," said Captain Blossom firmly. "If you don't want to obey me, you must leave the s.h.i.+p."

"Aint going to leave no s.h.i.+p!" was the cry. "She belongs to us. You keep off!"

"Yes, yes, keep off!" added the others on the deck.

"The s.h.i.+p is mine," said the captain. "If you refuse to let me come on board--"

At that moment two other figures appeared on deck.

"Dan Baxter and Jack Lesher!" murmured d.i.c.k.

"Captain Blossom, you had better keep your distance," said Lesher in a voice that showed he was just getting over a spell of drunkenness.

"So you too refuse to let me come on board?"

"I do. The boys have made me their captain, and as such I am bound to look after their interests. I have told them what you proposed to do, and they don't intend to stand it."

"Didn't I tell you we'd get square?" put in Dan Baxter, his evil face glowing with triumph. "We have all that is on board, and we mean to keep everything."

"This is mutiny!" stormed Captain Blossom.

"Call it what you please," answered Lesher recklessly. "I reckon I and the boys know what we are doing!"

"That's right!" cried the half-drunken sailors. "Hurrah for Cap'n Lesher. He's a man after our own hearts!"

"Supposing I demand to be let on board?" went on Captain Blossom.

"Don't ye go, cap'n," whispered old Jerry. "They are in jest a fit mood to kill ye. The rum has put the Old Nick in 'em."

"You can't come on board, and that settles it," roared Jack Lesher, drawing a pistol. "Keep your distance."

"Yes, keep your distance," added Baxter, and also showed a firearm.

"This is a fine way to treat us, after what we did for you," said d.i.c.k. "But, wait, Baxter, the end is not yet."

"Bah! I am not afraid," said the bully. "These men are all my friends, and we know exactly what we are doing."

"Do you expect to remain on the wreck?" asked the captain, after a moment of silence.

"That is our business," answered Lesher.

"I think you will find that you are making a great mistake, men, to follow Lesher when you ought to follow me. I have always treated you fairly, and--"

"Hi! none of that!" roared the mate. "We won't listen to it."

"The men shall listen, if they will. I

"Say another word and I'll fire!" cried the mate, and pointed his pistol at Captain Blossom's head.

"Do-do you mean that?" asked the captain, in as steady a voice as he could command.

"Of course he means it," said Dan Baxter. "He isn't a fool. We are all going to stand by him, too," he added.

"That's right," came from part of the crew. d.i.c.k noticed that a few of the others looked doubtful.

"I mean it, and I want you to leave right now," stormed Jack Lesher.

"I'll give you one minute in which to turn your boat around," and he pulled out his watch.

"Might as well go back," whispered old Jerry. "You can't reason with a lot of half-drunken men."

"Very well, we'll go back," said Captain Blossom loudly. "But, remember, you haven't seen the end of this affair."

"And remember another thing," added d.i.c.k, in an equally loud voice: "Don't any of you dare to come anywhere near our house. If you do, you'll be sorry for it."

Then the three turned the boat around and rowed slowly back whence they had come.

"The rascals!" muttered Captain Blossom, when they were out of hearing.

"Lesher and Baxter have poisoned the minds of the crew against me, and have bought over the men with liquor."

"It's a mighty good thing ye put them stores in the cave," came from old Jerry. "If ye hadn't we'd be a-wantin' a good many things in a few days."

"That is true," answered d.i.c.k. "Dora told me they must have another barrel of flour by day after to-morrow."

"How many at the cave?"

"Two."

"Well, it certainly was a good job done," said the captain. "But it makes me boil to think they want to keep me off my own s.h.i.+p. On the ocean that would be mutiny, and I could hang every mother's son of them from the yardarm for it."

"Lesher must have told 'em some putty strong stories," said old Jerry.

"Otherwise the men wouldn't be so dead set ag'in ye, cap'n."

"No doubt he made out the strongest possible case."

"I wonder if they will stick to the wreck all the time," said d.i.c.k.

"They'll find it mighty hot when the sun s.h.i.+nes."

"Oh, they'll most likely take some of the things ash.o.r.e, and set up a camp nearby, Rover."

"We'll have to watch them closely."

"I agree with you. Now we have two kinds of enemies--beasts and men,"

and the captain laughed bitterly.

The others were gathered on the sh.o.r.e awaiting their return, and they listened attentively to what was told them.