“I don’t mind a drink myself, but those chaps make me sick,” growled Dan Baxter.

“I guess we made a mistake to take them into our scheme,” said Lew Flapp.  “Look how Gouch blabbed to that old man last night.”

“Where are they now?”

“In the captain’s stateroom opening a new bottle of liquor.  Neither of them can stand up straight.”

“For two pins I’d pitch them overboard.  Where is Sculley?”

“He is with them, drinking hard, too.”

“If we only knew how to run that launch we could leave them behind and sail out of here.”

“Perhaps we’ll have to do that—­if the three keep on drinking.”

Baxter and Flapp were on deck.  They had had their breakfast, but had given nothing more to the girls.

“I’m going to tame ’em,” grumbled Flapp, who had not forgotten how the door had been slammed in his face.

“That’s right, we’ll make ’em come to terms,” added Baxter.  “We’ll have ’em on their knees to us before we get through.”

Presently both walked to the window of the stateroom Dora and Nellie occupied.

“Well, how do you feel—­pretty hungry?” questioned Baxter.

“Not so very hungry?” said Dora, as lightly as she could.

“Don’t you want a nice hot breakfast?”

“I’d rather have some fruit.”

“Oh, by the way, we’ve got some nice harvest apples on board—­and some berries.  Wouldn’t you like some berries, with sugar and cream?”

“And some fresh breakfast rolls?” put in Flapp.

“Not if you baked them,” came from Nellie.  “You can have a good breakfast, if you’ll be a little more civil to us,” resumed Dan Baxter.

“We are more civil than you deserve,” said Dora.

“Do you want to be starved?”

At this both girls turned a trifle pale.

“Would you dare to starve us?” cried Nellie.

“Why not—­if you won’t be friendly?” asked Lew Flapp.  “You’ve been treating us as if we were dogs.”

“Yes, and we—­” began Dan Baxter, when he chanced to look through the bushes and down the creek.  “Great Scott, Flapp!” he yelled.

“What’s up?”

“The game is up!  Here comes a tug with the Rovers and a lot of other people on board!”

“The Rovers!” faltered Lew Flapp, and for the instant he shivered from head to feet.

“Oh, good! good!” cried Nellie.  “Help!” she screamed.  “Help!”

“Help! help!” added Dora.  “Help us!  This way!”

“We are coming!” came back, in Dick’s voice, and a moment later the steam tug crashed into the side of the houseboat, and the Rovers and several others leaped on board.

“Stand where you are, Lew Flapp!” cried Tom, and rushed for the bully of Putnam Hall.  “Stand, I say!” and then he hit Flapp a stunning blow in the ear which bowled the rascal over and over.

In the meantime Dan Baxter took to his heels and made for the front of the houseboat.  From this point he jumped into the branches of a tree and disappeared from view.