boy always was a
queer stick," muttered Dan Baxter.

"All right, I'll go up," answered the youngest Rover, and dropping
his shovel, he hurried through the engine room.

"Sam!" called Tom, warningly, but his brother did not hear him on
account of the noise made by the machinery.

All unconscious of the trap laid for him, poor Sam started to go on
deck, when he was hurled backward in a dark corner of a passageway.
Somebody came down on top of him, a gag was forced into his mouth,
and a rope was brought into use.

"Let--let up!" he managed to say. "Help!" And then his wind was
completely cut off for the moment until the gag was secured.

But though gagged the youngest Rover was game and did not give up.
He squirmed and kicked and landed a blow on Gasper Pold and another
on Dan Baxter. In return the former bully of Putnam Hall kicked him
in the side, and then the men tied him up, hands and feet.

"Where will you put him?" asked Baxter.

"Put him in another of the staterooms,--for the present," answered
Sack Todd. "After we have got them all we can put them somewhere else."

"Shall we search him?" went on Dan Baxter, who was anxious to know
what Sam might be carrying.

"Not now--we haven't time."

Poor Sam was placed in a stateroom next to that occupied by Hans,
and then the evildoers hurried off to see what they could do in the
way of capturing Dick. They expected to take the eldest Rover unawares,
but in this they were mistaken.

In the meantime, Tom, full of suspicion from the very start, called
up the speaking tube to his brother.

"I say, Dick, what's the mater with Dutchy?"

"Hans? Nothing that I know of," returned Dick. "Why?"

"Dan Baxter was just down here and said you wanted Sam quick--that
something was wrong with Hans."

"I didn't send for Sam!" cried Dick, excitedly. He looked around him
in the gloom. "Hans isn't here," he went on, down the tube.

"Well, look out--I think something is wrong," shouted back Tom. "Got
your pistol handy?"

Dick felt in his pocket, and found the weapon where he had placed
it. Then he looked around again, but the deck of the _Mermaid_ appeared
to be deserted.

"I'm going to see what has become of Sam!" he shouted down the tube.
"I'll tie the wheel fast."

"Keep out of trouble!" shouted back Tom. "If I don't hear from you
pretty quick I'll be up myself," he added.

With his hand on his pistol, Dick left the wheelhouse and walked
slowly and cautiously toward