eel and let her run shoreward. "We're getting out
of the channel," he said to Harry. "Watch for sand-bars." He slipped the
clutch in again and again disengaged it. The two boats were some twenty
yards apart now and the men on the _Follow Me_ were observing the
newcomers unblinkingly from the cockpit.

Steve leaned over the rail and sent a hail across. "_Follow Me_, ahoy!"
he called. "We'll trouble you for that boat, please."

For a moment there was no answer. Then one of the two men in sight
moved forward and drawled: "Speaking to us, are you? What was it you
said?"

"I said we'd trouble you for that boat," repeated Steve. "It happens to
belong to us, you see."

"This boat?"

"That identical boat."

"Belongs to you!"

"You've got it."

"That's a good joke, friend. We've owned this boat three years. Where do
you come in?"

"She's the _Follow Me_, even if you have painted her name out, and you
took her from her anchorage in Plymouth Harbour last night. What's the
use of throwing a fool bluff like that?"

The man laughed hoarsely and his companion joined him. "Run away, kids!"
he said finally. "You're crazy with the heat. This boat's the
_Esmeralda_, of Providence, and she belongs to me and this feller. What
do you mean, took her? Callin' me a thief, are you?"

"I'm not taking the trouble to. If you know what's good for you you'll
dig out of there and do it quick."

"Is that so?" drawled the man. "Well, ain't that nice? An' supposin' it
don't suit me to hand over my boat to you? Then what you goin' to do?"

"Take her," answered Steve quietly. "There are twelve of us here and
we've followed you all the way from Plymouth, and we aren't likely to
let you bluff us off now. Come on, now, what do you say?"

"Come on and take her, kids!" was the answer. "We're scared to death!"
The men thought that extremely funny, and laughed a lot over it. Just
then, Steve, leaning outboard over the railing, felt someone tug at his
arm.

"Look at the middle port, Steve," whispered Phil.

Steve looked. The nearer side of the _Follow Me_ was in shadow, but a
quivering beam of sunlight, reflected from the surface of the water,
glinted on the muzzle of a revolver held just inside the open port.

"Every fellow under cover," said Steve quietly. "That means you, too,
Joe. Duck! They've got a gun trained on us. Who's the best shot here?"

"Wink," answered Joe.

"Give him one of the revolvers. Are you there, Wink?"

"Yes," ans