Page:Rover Boys on Land and Sea.djvu/257

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THE MATE SHOWS HIS HAND
239

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 Dick. "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 ship. 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."