," said the captain. "But when he
is sober I'll have a talk with him."
Wet clothing was changed for dry, and then the captain and the boys
listened to what Baxter and the girls had to tell. The captain was
glad to learn that so many of his men had been saved, and asked for
the names.
"I don't care much about Peterson and McGlow," he said. "They are
tough customers. I would rather have heard from Peabody, Dickson,
and Fearwell. You don't know anything about them?"
"No," said Dan Baxter.
"This news about Dick and old Jerry worries me," said Tom.
"Dan Baxter, I think you know more than you care to tell," said Sam
boldly.
The bully hardly knew how to reply. He could not now fall back on
Jack Lesher for support, and he had thought to be on his way to
rejoin the sailors ere this. The storm had upset all of his calculations.
It had been a foolish movement to attack Dick and old Jerry, and it
now looked as if he must suffer for it.
"Well--er--I don't mind telling you that Dick and the mate had
something of a quarrel," he said hesitatingly.
"How did it end?" asked Tom.
"I can't say exactly."
"Why not? You were with Lesher at the time."
"No, I wasn't. He ordered me to get into the rowboat and wait for
him while he went back to get a pistol or a gun. I heard loud talking
on the deck of the schooner, and I knew a row was on. I was just
going back to the deck when the mate came and leaped into the rowboat.
He said the sailor and Dick were going to remain behind, and that we
wouldn't wait any longer. Then we rowed over here."
"If that's the case I'll make Lesher tell us what happened," cried
Tom, and shook the mate roughly. "Wake up here!" he cried. "Wake up
and give an account of yourself!"
CHAPTER XXIV
IN CLOSE QUARTERS
Slowly Dick came to his senses. He remembered little or nothing, and
only knew that all was dark around him, and that his head was spinning
like a top.
For several minutes he remained quiet, trying to collect his thoughts.
Then he sat up and passed one hand slowly over his forehead.
"Oh, how my heed aches!" he murmured.
It was fully five minutes before he felt like moving around. Then he
arose and took a step forward and stumbled over old Jerry's body.
"Oh!" he murmured, and felt of the body in the dark, "Who is this?
Can it be Jerry?" he asked himself.
Then came a recollection of the cowardly attack. But what had followed
was a blank, and he could not imagine
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