might do."

"Tell us, if you please!" called out one of the more timid of the
boys.

"Very likely he will attempt to starve us out by surrounding the
island with boats, and preventing us from obtaining provisions. He
must know that we have a very small stock of eatables on hand."

"We will trust to our commodore to break his lines, if he blockades
our camp," laughed Tom Rush.

"He may come with a force of men in the night, and take away the
boats."

"You said we should keep a watch at night," suggested Fred Mason.

"We hope the commodore will be able to protect his squadron," said Bob
Hale.

"I shall do my best to insure the safety of the boats, or to run the
blockade, if one is established," I replied, with becoming modesty;
and in fact I was getting so excited over the prospect, that I rather
hoped there would be an attempt to blockade us, or to carry off the
boats, that I might have an opportunity to exercise my talent for
navigation and strategy.

"And Mr. Parasyte may collect a force, and come over to capture the
whole of us. He can charge us with stealing his boats, or something of
that sort. He has already obtained a warrant for the arrest of
Thornton, and to have him taken away from us would be about the worst
thing that could happen," said Vallington.

"We will not let them take him," interposed a belligerent student.

"What will you do?"

"Pitch the sheriff overboard," replied the spunky speaker.

"That will not do," I added. "I hope no fellow will think of such a
thing as resisting an officer of the law."

"No, that wouldn't do," continued Vallington. "If Mr. Greene could not
arrest Thornton because he was out of his county, Mr. Parasyte will
get a sheriff from the proper county to do the job."

"That's so," said Bob Hale. "He will do his worst, you may depend upon
that."

"I have an idea!" I shouted, under the inspiration of my new thought;
and it really seemed to me like a brilliant suggestion.

"What is it?" demanded our leader.

"Suppose we change our quarters?"

"Where shall we go?"

"To Pine Island. It is about seven miles from here, or nine miles and
a half from Parkville," I answered.

"What shall we gain by moving?" asked Vallington, deeply interested in
my proposition.

"Several things. We are now six miles from Cannondale, where we must
procure our provisions, while Pine Island is less than three."

"That's a decided advantage, if we are to be starved out," added the