Improbable as it may
seem, the governor had the least to say of any one in the band, while
Tom was as jolly as a boy could be. He obeyed his orders promptly,
shoving the yawl from the beach, and mooring her broadside to the bluff
bank in front of the cabin, so that the cargo could be easily stowed
away. After that he hoisted the sail, and was ready to lend assistance
in packing up the outfit. He stepped gayly about his work, joking and
laughing the while with his companions, who were astonished to see him
in such spirits.

"Cap'n," said the governor, who had for some time remained silent,
"don't you think that ar' little plan of your'n is just the least bit
risky? If I was you, I'd let them 'cademy swells keep their vessel an'
welcome."

"You would!" exclaimed Tom. "Well, _I_ won't, now I tell you! What! Give
up the very thing I have lived for, and thought of, and dreamed about
for so long? No, sir! That yacht has been the means of making me a
vagabond, an outcast from home, and a wanderer upon the face of the
earth, and she shall not stay above water any longer. If I can't enjoy
her, nobody shall. I'll destroy the last vestige of her--I'll blot the
academy navy out of existence. I'll abolish the offices of captain,
lieutenant, master, and midshipman, and turn Harry Green and his crowd
of spooneys back to the ranks, with as much ease as the principal could
do it himself. I'll start a bonfire in the harbor that will serve us as
a light-house, and show us our way out to sea. Those fellows have teased
and tormented me for months about that vessel, and now I am going to
have my revenge. You will not go back on me, governor?"

The Crusoe men had paused in their work to listen to Tom. His fiery
words and determined air, not only served to convince them that he was
thoroughly in earnest, and that he was resolved to carry out his plans
if within the bounds of possibility, but they also had the effect of
reviving the drooping spirits of the band. He spoke with such calmness
and confidence, and seemed to be so utterly regardless of all the
obstacles in his path, and so certain of success, that they could not
help feeling encouraged.

"No, sir, I'll not go back on you," said the chief, emphatically; and no
one who heard him speak imagined that he had been racking his brain in
the hope of hitting upon some excuse for declining to assist Tom in
destroying the yacht. "I said I'd stand by you, didn't I? I am a fellow
who never br