only growled, "Bother the fellow! What does he mean by such
preposterous impudence?"

Tom's temper was easily roused; and, followed by the others, he ran to
the crag and shouted, "Give us none of your humbug! Bring back the
boat, or it will be the worse for you!"

A mocking laugh was all the answer he got; and this so exasperated Tom
that he was about to fling a volley of abuse to the enemy, but Harry
checked him. Harry was always the first to look at a thing from more
points than one, and now he said in an undertone, "I expect it is only
some nonsensical make-believe. Yaspard is a baby in some ways, I am
told; and he never exchanges a word with gentlemen's sons--lives
horribly alone, you know. Let's humour him a bit, and see what it will
come to."

Tom grunted, but Bill and Gloy seconded Harry, so Harry called out, "I
say, you might as well come on shore first and tell us what's up, and
then let us start fair all round."

"I'd like to," burst from Yaspard in his natural and impulsive manner,
"but I mustn't. Uncle Brues has forbidden me to be friends with _any_
of you Lunda fellows, because of the family feud, you know. But I'm
tired of having no chums, and living as I do, so I'm resolved to be a
Viking; and as you are all my enemies, I shall, of course, try to
harass you in every way I can, to fight you, and carry off your
property, and conquer you, and--and--have some good fun!"

Tom and Harry instantly got the right kind of inspiration about the
matter, and replied, "All right, we're your men! strongest fend off!"
but Gloy exclaimed, "I think he must be going off his head," and Bill
called out furiously, "Conquer us! come and try, if you dare."

"I'll dare another day, youngster," answered the Viking loftily; "but
listen now" (addressing the others): "I've got your boat, and you must
agree to what I ask before I will let you have her again."

"Impudence!" shouted Tom.

"Tuts, man, let him haver," said Harry; then to Yaspard, "Well, go on."

"Are you captain of that crew?" Yaspard asked.

"In the absence of my elders and betters, yes!"

"Well, I want you to take a letter (it is really two letters, one
inside the other) to the young Laird of Lunda. He is captain, chief,
yarl, and all the rest of it, over you and your island."

"If it's a proper letter I'll take it," Harry answered promptly.

"One of the letters is quite proper; but, proper or no proper, uncle's
note must also reach Mr. Garson, an