“No, she got away from us in the darkness, after we hauled seven of you aboard.”

“The steamer lost some of her crew,” said Tom, shuddering.  “Did you lose any men?”

“One sailor, and one of my passengers got hurt in the leg by the collision.”

By this time Dick joined the party, followed by old Jerry and the three girls.

“Will the captain carry us away to Australia?” asked Dora, when the situation was explained.

“I suppose so,” said Dick soberly.  “If I had some money I might buy him off, but I haven’t a dollar.  What little I did have I left on board of the Tacoma.”

The others were equally destitute, and when Captain Blossom heard of this his face grew dark.  He was a close man, and his first mate, Jack Lesher, was no better.

“If you haven’t any money, you’ll have to work your passage,” he growled.  “I can’t afford to carry you to Australia for nothing.”

“Then let us off at some port in the Hawaiian Islands,” said Tom.

“Can’t do it, I told you,” retorted Captain Blossom angrily.  “And you’ll either work while you are on board or starve.”

“My, what a Tarter!” whispered Sam.

“Well, we’ll work,” said Dick.  “But you must not force the young ladies to do anything.”

“I’m a sailor and will do my full share,” said old Jerry.  But he did not like the situation any better than did the Rovers.

The matter was talked over, and seeing that they were willing to work, Captain Blossom became a little milder in his manner.  He said he would give the three girls one of the staterooms, but the boys and old Jerry would have to join the crew in the forecastle.

Fortunately the sailors on board the Golden Wave were a fairly clean lot, so the forecastle was not so dirty a place as it might otherwise have been.  The boys did not like to be separated from the girls, however, and Dick called the girls aside to talk the matter over.

“I want to know if anything goes wrong,” said he.  “If there is the least thing out of the way, let us know at once,” and the girls promised to keep their eyes open.

Once in the forecastle the boys were given three rough suits of clothes to wear while working.  Then they were called out to work without delay, for the storm had left much to do on board the Golden Wave.

“We have only one passenger,” said one of the sailors, in reply to a question from Tom..  “He is a young fellow named Robert Brown.  He was hurt during the storm, but I reckon he’s all right now.”

Tom was set to coiling some rope and Sam and Dick had to scrub down the deck.  This was by no means an agreeable task, but nobody complained.

“We must take what comes,” said Dick cheerfully.  “So long as we get enough to eat and are not abused I shan’t say a word.”

The boys had been to work about an hour when Sam saw a young fellow limping around the other end of the deck.  There was something strangely familiar about the party, and the youngest Rover drew closer to get a better look at him.