Part 6 (1/2)

”Oh, you are?” cried Chot, his eyes blazing with anger. A peculiar smile played about his lips, which Tom and Fleet had grown to recognize as denoting great emotion. And now, as Chot sprang on to the deck of the catboat, yelling for Tom and Fleet to follow, the boys knew there would be ”something doing.”

”Do you want me?” asked Pod.

”No; you stay and watch the canoes. And you, Ted, climb over the stern into Fleet's canoe-that big one over there on the end.”

By this time Tom and Fleet had followed Chot on to the deck of the catboat, and with a bellow of rage the big captain rushed toward them.

”Into the water with him!” cried Chot, ”and keep out of the way of his fists. If he thinks he can beat the Experience Club, he's badly fooled.”

”That he is,” said Fleet.

Then the boys scattered so that, turn as he might, there was always a boy behind the captain. He realized that he was in a tight corner, but in his half-drunken rage he was blind to his best interests, so he rushed at Chot, who seemed to him to be the aggressor in the fight.

Chot easily evaded the rush, stepped lightly to one side, put out his foot, and the captain stumbled over it and sprawled his length on the deck. He arose, cursing, and rushed again. This time Tom was in his way.

Tom, too, sidestepped and when the captain was even with him, gave him a blow in the stomach that doubled him up and sent him reeling on to the roof of the little cabin.

”My turn now!” cried Fleet, and before the captain could recover from Tom's blow, or realize what was about to happen, the fleshy lad had lifted him almost bodily, shoved him to the edge of the boat and toppled him into the river. At this there were shouts of delight from Pod and Ted.

The captain came up, puffing, and shaking the water out of his eyes after the fas.h.i.+on of an expert swimmer. The water had somewhat cooled his ambition for a fight, and he looked rather meek as he swam toward the side of the boat and started to scramble up. Here he met with a surprise, however. The Comrades blocked his way, and the moment he put a hand on the rail, it was loosened by one of the boys and the captain shoved back into the water.

”You're not goin' to let me drown, are ye?” he demanded.

”Oh, no-not yet, at least, but before you are allowed aboard the boat, we want to hear you say that you kidnapped Ted Lanham, and that you now relinquish all claim to his services,” said Chot.

”I don't know what his name is, but I picked him up. I had to have someone to work my boat.”

”While you could drink and sleep, eh?” demanded Tom. ”A fine specimen of humanity, you are.”

”Oh, let up, won't ye? I know when I've had enough. It was three against one, an' no man can fight such odds.”

”Glad you realize it,” said Fleet. ”Do you relinquish all claim to his services?”

”See nothin' else to do,” he sputtered, ”lemme aboard. You go your way an' I'll go mine. But if I ever meet ye again, look out!”

”You'll never meet us again,” said Chot.

”Not if we see you first, anyway,” said Fleet.

They allowed him to scramble on deck, watching him warily, however, fearing treachery. But the captain was evidently sincere when he said that the odds were too great, and when the boys scrambled over the stern into their canoes, he was unlas.h.i.+ng the tiller. Then the catboat swung around so that wind caught her sail, and moved off down the river. The captain sat in the stern, gazing stolidly ahead. Not once did he turn to look at the boys in the canoes, or even signify that he knew they were there. The matter was evidently a forgotten incident with him.

”Well, he's a cool one all right,” said Fleet

”Too cool for me,” said Ted Lanham, who was now sitting comfortably in the bow of Fleet's canoe, while Fleet had moved his cus.h.i.+ons toward the stern to balance the craft.

”Do your folks live at Greenbush, Ted?” asked Chot, as the canoes moved off up the river.

”My mother,” said the boy. ”Guess she's wondering where I am.”