her will send for me immediately. My mother would be glad
enough to have me go home."

"I'll tell you what it is, fellows," added Lindsley, warmly; "if about
fifty of us will only hang together, we can have our own way. If we
write home that we are dissatisfied, that the principal is rough on us,
and won't let us see the country, we can blow up the Academy Ship
higher than a kite."

"I think we have seen the country pretty well," suggested Wilde.

"Yes; but we are not to go into Germany," replied Raymond. "We are to
go to sea, just because the new captain demands it."

"For my own part, I like the ship first rate, and should hate to have
my father send for me," continued Wilde. "I don't believe there are a
dozen fellows on board who wouldn't think it a hard case if they had to
leave."

"Not if we are to be treated in this manner. If we are allowed to see
the country, and have a good time, every fellow will be satisfied,"
replied Raymond. "But I think it will all come round right if we keep a
stiff upper lip, and stand up for our rights. I like Lindsley's idea
first rate. We can talk that up, and it will help us out, if nothing
else will. We can easily get forty or fifty of the fellows to say they
will ask their fathers to take them away from the ship if they don't
have fair play. Then we can mildly suggest the idea to Mr. Lowington;
and, I tell you, he can see that the loss of fifty of us would make an
end of his big idea."

"I'm not ready to say I will ask my father to take me out of the ship,"
protested Wilde.

"I am," said Raymond.

"So am I," added Lindsley.

"And I," chimed in others.

"While we are waiting, suppose we circulate the idea."

At this moment Tremere and Willis, who were the other occupants of the
mess-room, came in, and the proposition was stated to them.

"No!" exclaimed Tremere, very decidedly. "When the boatswain pipes, I
shall go on deck, and do my duty as long as I have two legs to stand
on, and two hands to work with."

"So shall I," added Willis. "I don't believe half the stories that have
been told through the ship. In my opinion, if any of the fellows don't
go down the Rhine this year, it will be because they are rebels or
runaways. I shall take my station when the boatswain pipes, if I am the
only fellow on board that does so."

"If you haven't spunk enough to stand up for your rights, you deserve
to lose them," replied Raymond, disgusted with the answers of those
high-ton