ll safely."

"Are you going to leave me?"

"Yes, I want to find Henshaw and the others."

Nat Poole wanted to argue, but he did not dare. Dave waited until Link
Merwell sat up and opened his eyes. Then he leaped on the ice-boat and
flung off the three skates he found there.

"Going away?" mumbled Merwell, when he could speak.

"Yes, and after this, Link Merwell, see that you keep a civil tongue in
your head," answered Dave, and then he trimmed the sail of the ice-boat,
shoved the craft around, and started for the river.

Dave was a good deal "worked up," but he had not deemed it wise to let
his enemies see it. To be called a "poorhouse rat" had stung him to the
quick, and once again when touched on that subject he had found his
temper as ungovernable as ever.

"It's no use, I can't stand it," he told himself. "If they want me to
let them alone they have got to cut that out."

It was now so dark that but little could be seen on the broad river.
Dave turned the craft towards Robber Island and made a long tack. He was
just coming around on the other tack when there came a shout out of the
darkness.

"Don't run us down! Why, it's Dave!"

"Right you are," was the reply. Then he saw Roger and the others, who
had started to walk to Oak Hall. They were soon beside the _Snowbird_,
and the craft was headed for the school.

"So Poole and Merwell had her," observed Messmer, on the way. "Did you
have any trouble making them give her up?"

"Just a little," answered Dave, modestly.

"Tell us about it, Dave!" cried the senator's son. "Somebody told me
Merwell was of the scrappy kind."

"I really don't like to talk about it," said Dave, his face clouding. "I
had some words with Merwell and I knocked him down. Then he and Poole
were willing enough to let me take the ice-boat."

"You knocked Merwell down!" exclaimed Henshaw. "He's a big fellow."

"Dave isn't afraid of anybody," said Roger, in a tone of pride.

In the end Dave was compelled to tell his story, to which the others
listened with deep interest. They understood the boy from the country
perfectly, and said the treatment received had served Link Merwell
right.

When they reached Oak Hall they were nearly an hour late. They expected
Job Haskers would lecture them and give them extra lessons to do, but
fortunately they found Andrew Dale, the head teacher, in charge. He
listened to their explanations with a smile.

"After this you mustn't go so far, or else s