Part 14 (1/2)

”Then you are willing to become a sailor?”

”I--er--I suppose so.”

”Very well, you can remove your things to the forecastle. Jack Lesher, the first mate, will give you your bunk.”

This was ”adding insult to injury,” as it is termed, so far as Baxter was concerned, for it will be remembered that it was Jack Lesher who had obtained the pa.s.sage on the _Golden Wave_ for the bully.

But Dan Baxter was given no chance to demur. Taking his traps he went on deck, where Jack Lesher met him, grinning in sickly fas.h.i.+on.

”So you are going to make a change, eh?” said the mate.

”You needn't laugh at me, if I am,” growled Baxter.

”I shan't laugh, my boy. It's hard luck,” said Lesher. ”Come along.”

He led the way to the forecastle and gave Baxter a bunk next to that occupied by old Jerry. Then he brought out an old suit of sailor's clothing and tossed it over.

”You've run in hard luck, boy,” he said in a low voice, after he had made certain that n.o.body else was within hearing. ”I am sorry for you.”

”Really?” queried Dan Baxter, giving the mate a sharp look.

”Yes, I am, and if I can do anything to make it easy for you, count on me,” went on Jack Lesher.

”Thank you.”

”I suppose taking that money and the other things was more of boy's sport than anything, eh?”

”That's the truth. I wanted to get square with those Rover boys. They are my bitter enemies. I didn't want the money.”

Just then old Jerry came in and the conversation came to an end. But Baxter felt that he had a friend on board and this eased him a little.

He did not know that the reason Jack Lesher liked him was because the first mate was a criminal himself and had once served a term in a Michigan jail for knocking down a pa.s.senger on a boat and robbing him of his pocketbook. As the old saying goes, ”Birds of a feather flock together.”

When the girls came on deck they found Baxter doing some of the work which d.i.c.k and Tom had been doing the morning before. At first they were inclined to laugh, but Dora stopped herself and her cousins.

”Don't let us laugh at him,” she whispered. ”It is hard enough for the poor fellow as it is.”

”I am not going to notice him after this,” said Nellie. ”To me he shall be an entire stranger.” And the others agreed to treat Dan Baxter in the same manner.

But the boys were not so considerate, and Tom laughed outright when he caught sight of Baxter swabbing up some dirt on the rear deck.

This made the bully's pa.s.sion arise on the instant and he caught up his bucket as if to throw it at Tom's head.

”Don't you dare, Baxter!” cried Tom. ”If you do we'll have a red-hot war.”

”I can lick you, Tom Rover!”

”Perhaps you can and perhaps you can't.”

Baxter put up his fists, but on the approach of d.i.c.k and Sam he promptly retreated. But before he went he hissed in Tom's ear: