doors, and thus
obtain the assistance and protection of the officer.

"Don't say any thing more to me about spoiling the sailing of the boat,
Dory. I know more about sailing a boat than you do," replied Pearl. "You
are a cross-grained youth, and you know more than the law allows for a
boy of your years. You beat me out of this boat; but you stole the money
to buy her, and it was no trade."

The skipper concluded that it was best to make no reply to this charge.

"We will settle that matter at another time," continued Pearl. "I
believe I hinted to you that I wanted to take a nap in the cabin."

"And I hinted to you that I did not want the boat loaded by the head any
more," replied Dory, who was not at all disposed to be bullied, politely
or otherwise.

"I prefer to sleep in the cabin, and I want the key of that padlock,"
said Pearl more decidedly than he had before spoken.

"You can't have it," replied Dory with quite as much decision.

"Do you wish me to throw you overboard, Dory Dornwood?" demanded Pearl,
fixing his ugly look upon the skipper.

"No, I don't."

"Then I hope you won't make me do it, for I might be sorry for it; but I
must have that key."

"I don't see what you want of the key," added Dory, whose sober second
thought was, that he had better not provoke such a dangerous man. "This
boat has a bad reputation, and I have to be very careful with her."

"You were very careful yesterday when you ran across the lake in her
with the wind blowing a heavy gale," said Pearl with a sneer.

"I will fix a nice bed for you on that seat."

"I want the key!" exclaimed Pearl savagely.

Dory was silent. The key was in his trousers-pocket, where he kept his
wallet, containing sixty dollars. His ugly passenger was evidently
determined to have the key. Unless he had discovered that some one was
in the cabin, he could not see why his persecutor was so strenuous to
obtain the key. Pearl was not a large man; but he was very strong and
quick, as he had learned in the affair in the woods, when the ruffian
had hurled him away from him as though he had been nothing but a baby.

He could hardly get the better of him if Pearl resorted to violence. His
companion in the standing-room claimed to be a skilful boatman, and was
not dependent upon him to act as skipper. The situation began to look
very serious. Though Peppers must have heard every word that passed
between him and Pearl, he had not betrayed his presence on boar