ing!" cried Harry.

Still keeping the Peters' crowd under guard, Jerry and his friends boarded
the yacht.

Then, much against their will, they made the others turn about and drag
them back to where they had started from, towing the hermit's craft
behind.

Peters and Crosby were in a perfect rage, but could do nothing, as Jerry
pretended to be very savage and itching to shoot them.

The island reached, Jerry made the Peters' crowd beach the boat and clean
her.

"Now take your yacht and begone!" he commanded, and the crowd hurried off
in double-quick order. As the yacht drifted away the hermit laughed
heartily.

"Cleverly done!" he said. "Jerry Upton, you are a smart lad."

The boys spent one more day on the island and then left for home. The
hermit went along, and created some surprise when he appeared on the
streets of Lakeview with Blumpo, his son.

All the boys were glad that the homeless youth had found a father, who
would endeavor to make something out of the good-natured and honest lad.

There was also a surprise for our hero and Harry.

Si Peters and his gang had been arrested for burning down a barn belonging
to Harry's father.

The Rockpoint lads tried to beg off, but the authorities took the matter
in hand, and every one of them was sent to the reformatory.

This ended the rivalry for the time being between Lakeview and Rockpoint
and, as a consequence, the autumn and winter which followed were
comparatively quiet. But stirring events were on the way, as the chapters
which follow will testify.

CHAPTER XVII.

HARRY'S NEW YACHT.

"Luff up a bit, Harry!"

"All right, Jerry. Do you think we will make that point?"

"If the wind holds out. We are behind the rocks now, and that cuts most of
the breeze off."

"Blumpo, coil up some of that rope, will you?"

"To be suah," returned the youth addressed.

The scene was the deck of a handsome yacht named the Whistler. She was as
clean cut as a craft could be, and carried a spread of snowy white sails
which would have gladdened the heart of any sea-dog to behold.

Three boys and an old man were sailing this craft. The three boys were
Jerry, Harry and Blumpo. The man was Jack Broxton, the boathouse keeper.

The yacht was a new one, recently purchased by Harry Parker's father for
the use of his son and Jerry.

"Do you remember what a row we had up around this island last summer with
Si Peters, Wash Crosby and the rest of the Rockpoint crowd