med
in little Cal Moody, upon whom this threat had made a deep impression.

"That's all right, Cal," laughed Hal Bacon "He won't murder you if he
don't see you, so just lie low and you'll be safe. I say, though, I saw
a compass in the cabin as we came through. And we might begin work right
off by boxing it. I suppose he wants to send it off somewheres. I don't
know what he meant by 'backwards,' but I guess upside down will do."

So the boys got the compass and began to make a box for it from some
bits of board left over when the bunks were built and what few nails
they could pick up. They got an axe out of the "kitchen," as Sam Ray
called the galley, and made such a racket pounding with it that young
Jabe hurried below to see what was up. The moment he appeared they
pounced on him and demanded the bells.

"What ever do you fellers mean?" he queried, at the same time trying to
shake himself loose.

"The eight bells that Skipper Crotty said we were to get from his son,"
they shouted; "and if you don't give 'em to us we'll report you, and
you'll be cat-o-nine-tailed for neglect of duty."

"Cat-o-nothing," retorted young Jabe, in a disgusted tone. "You can
report all you want to. Same time I'll do some reporting myself; and
when the old man hears what you're a-doing to his best compass I rather
guess there'll be somebody besides me in danger of the cat."

"He told us to box it."

"We're only obeying orders."

"Guess we know what we're doing."

So shouted the Rangers; and when young Jabe started to report to his
father the state of affairs in the hold, they all sprang after him,
determined to present their side of the question, and utterly forgetting
that they had just decided to keep out of the skipper's sight for a time
at least.

The sloop was running dead before a light breeze, with its big mainsail
away out on the starboard side, and Captain Crotty was just then doing
some very fine steering in trying to clear a sharp bend in the river
without gybing. The sudden rush of young Jabe and the excited boys, all
shouting at the top of their voices, and bearing down on him with
frantic gestures, so startled the skipper that for a single moment his
attention was drawn away from the big sail.

"They're stealing the compass!"

"He won't give us the bells!"

As the opposing factions uttered these cries there came a mighty sweep
of something over their heads. The next moment young Jabe and Cracker
Bob Jones were ov