k a quick poke in the ribs and whispered in his ear:

"Yes, he does!"

"Let him play out his string," whispered Frank in return.

"This surgeon," Jamison went on, "is a queer old fellow. Sometimes he'll
take a case, and sometimes he won't. If he feels in an ugly mood, he's
likely to kick us out of his cabin."

Tommy listened with apparent interest to what the treacherous Jamison
was saying, but it is needless to remark that he did not accept it as
truth. It was his belief that the fellow was manufacturing a pretext for
getting himself and his friends quietly on shore as soon as one of the
Barren islands was reached.

There were three men on board the motor boat besides Jamison. They were
evil-looking fellows, and spent most of their time on the forward deck,
where the steering wheel and the motors were located.

The men frequently drank out of a black bottle, and were fast becoming
intoxicated. Instead of attempting to restrain the fellows, Jamison
seemed to encourage them in their debauch.

"He's getting them in trim to start something," Sam whispered, as the
three men broke into a rough drinking song.

"Yes," agreed Tommy, "I imagine that he wants whatever takes place on
board the boat tonight to be regarded as the acts of men made
irresponsible by whisky. You'd better keep your gun handy, Sam!"

"I've got my hand on it every minute!" replied the boy. "And if anything
is started here, Jamison will be the first one to know that I've got it!
He's the man that needs the lesson!"

It was very dark now, and the sea was rough. The motor boat plunged
about like a leaf, tossing from wave to wave, and dropping into one
trough after another. It was plain that the members of the crew were
becoming too drunk to handle the boat.

Jamison finally approached the cabin doorway and sat down on one of the
stationary seats. Notwithstanding the fact that the boat was taking
water at almost every jump, the fellow's face bore a satisfied look.

"What are those fellows trying to do with the boat?" asked Tommy.

"Oh, they're all right!" answered Jamison.

"Looks to me like they were trying to drop us to the bottom," Frank
said. "There won't be any boat left directly!"

"I guess they have got a little too much John Barleycorn on board!"
laughed Jamison, as the boat gave a lurch which sent him head foremost
from his seat. "I'd go and take the wheel myself, only I don't know much
about running a motor boat under present conditi