acht better than I can, just
you come aft and try."

"Hey, there, you young pirates! Where are you heading for?"

It was the shout of a big-armed young fellow in a shell race-boat, who
found himself suddenly compelled to pull to the right desperately to
avoid being run down by the _Hail Columbia_.

"Lookout! Oh--"

Thump. "I declare!"

The first exclamation was from the tall, slim gentleman in the
"out-riggered" wherry, who had been racing with the big-armed young man,
and had not been looking out well enough.

He tried to turn to the left, but it was very late to try, and the
suddenness of it helped him "catch a crab" with his starboard oar. When
he said "Oh," he was just going over into the water.

The "thump" and the other exclamation did no harm to the _Hail
Columbia_, but the fat old gentleman in the tub of a pleasure-boat that
had bumped against the yacht remarked:

"The river swarms with boys to-day. I'm not sorry that other one got a
ducking. I've had to get out of his way twice."

The officers and crew of the _Hail Columbia_ were inclined to keep a
little quiet, all but their brave Boatswain.

"Don't you know how to steer, you fellows? Don't you know that sailing
vessels have the right of way? You ought to have blown your whistle
sooner."

"I declare!" again exclaimed the old gentleman. "The child is perfectly
right."

"Bo's'n," asked the Commodore, "can't we tack and keep along shore
again?"

"We can't tack with the sail up--not in this yacht; but we can let it
down and turn her round with the oars." They did that very thing, and in
five minutes more the _Hail Columbia_ was pointing her Admiral toward
the north shore of the Harlem again.

The slim man managed to get back into his "shell," but he had lost his
race with the big-armed man.

"Bo's'n," remarked the Commodore, as they sailed along, "you needn't run
us into the mud."

"I guess not," said Bob Fogg; "but if I can steer her close enough to
land, I'm going up as far as the bridge."

It was a grand cruise, and it lasted a long time; but when the _Hail
Columbia_ once more ran into the little cove, there was General George
Washington ready to say,

"Look a-heah, boys, I didn't say you mought cross de 'Lantic Ocean. I
wants dat yot to go for some bass."

OLD TIMES IN THE COLONIES.

BY CHARLES CARLETON COFFIN.

No. V.

HOW THE SETTLERS OF WALPOLE DEFENDED THEMSELVES.

Beautiful the green meadows, the surrounding hills,