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"You'll find out soon enough," returned Arnold Baxter. "March." "Supposing I refuse?" "We'll knock you down and drag you along," put in Dan Baxter, anxious to say something. "You had better come along quietly," said Captain Langless. "To kick will only make you worse off."
In the first place, if I help you, will you promise, in case the plan falls through, that you will not tell Captain Langless what I did, but let him believe that you got away on your own hook?" "We'll promise that readily enough," answered Tom, and Sam nodded.
Before the captain could answer there came a call down the companion way. "Two vessels in sight a schooner and a steam tug," announced a sailor. "Coming this way?" asked the master of the schooner. "Aye, sir." Captain Langless arose at once. "I will have to ask you to step into the hold again," he said politely, but firmly. "I will talk over what you have offered later."
"You can go," said Captain Langless to the sailors. "And, Wilson, send the cook here for orders." The sailors departed, and with something of a grim smile on his furrowed face the owner of the Peacock dropped into a seat near the companionway door. He had just started to speak again when there was a noise outside and Arnold Baxter appeared. "Have you subdued the rascals?" he questioned hastily.
Had Tom really fallen, or had he been attacked? "I can't leave him alone," he thought, and without further hesitation leaped up the side of the schooner with the agility of a cat. It was a fatal movement, for scarcely had he reached the deck when he was pounced upon by Captain Langless and held fast until Arnold Baxter appeared. "Let me go!" cried Sam, but his protest proved of no avail.
Langless owns a small schooner, the Peacock, and be says I can have her for a month, with the services of himself and his crew, for one thousand dollars and nothing said about the job." "Did you accept, dad?" "Certainly it was just what I wanted. Langless is all right, and I told him I would double his money if he would stick by me to the finish, and he swore that he would."
From the start those on board of the Peacock had been afraid that the yacht was following them, and now they were certain of it. "Two boys putting off in a rowboat," announced Captain Langless. "They are Tom and Sam Rover," answered Arnold Baxter, after a brief survey through a marine glass. "How did they get to know enough to follow this craft?" "I'm sure I don't know.
"If you'll promise to behave yourselves, we may let you on deck part of the time." "You'd better," grumbled Tom. He hardly knew what to say, and his brothers were in an equal quandary. "Come, throw down your arms and we'll give you breakfast here in the cabin," continued Captain Langless. "You won't find me such a bad chap to deal with, when once you know me.
Stanhope from old Crabtree's clutches, and that is something." "True, but supposing we fall in the hands of the Baxters and Captain Langless again?" "Can't we hold them at bay, if they try to come on board this tub?" "Perhaps. But we can't remain on board the Wellington forever."
The sudden turn of affairs chagrined the Rover boys greatly, and for the moment none of them knew what to say. Arnold Baxter and Dan grinned at the trio sarcastically, and the bully was the first to break the silence. "Didn't get away that time, did you?" he sneered. "Ha! so they are here!" came from Captain Langless, who had just stepped into the cabin. "And without the handcuffs, too."
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