greet them, and he speedily made them feel at home. The captain was a big, good-natured man of about forty, and the boys knew they would like him the moment they saw him.
"Well, this is certainly a swell boat," said Sam, after an inspection. "And as clean as a whistle."
"Puts me in mind of the deserted steam yacht we boarded in the Gulf of Mexico," answered Dick, referring to a happening which has been related in detail in "The Rover Boys in Southern Waters."
"Wonder if we'll have as many adventures as we did on that boat," mused Dick. "Those were hot times, eh?"
"We'll not lack for adventures if we come into contact with Merrick and his gang," an swered Songbird, who had been told all the details of the adventures in New York.
There were six single and four double state rooms aboard the steam yacht, so the Rovers and their friends were not crowded for accommoda tions, since even a single room contained two berths, an upper and a lower. Each room was done in white and gold, giving it a truly aristocratic appearance. There was a good deal of brass and nickel-plated work, and the metal shone like a mirror.
"I declare it's most too good to use," said Sam,
