“I reckon it’s a pretty clear case against you,” said Captain Blossom, turning to Dan Baxter.

“Here are half a dozen letters,” said Tom, holding them up.  “You can see they are all addressed to Daniel Baxter.  That’s his name, and he’d be a fool to deny it any longer.”

“Well, I won’t deny it,” cried the big bully.  “What would be the use—­you are all against me—­even the captain.”

“I am not against you,” retorted Captain Blossom.  “But if you are a thief I want to know it.  Why did you give me your name as Robert Brown?”

“That’s my business.”  Baxter paused for a moment.  “Now you have found me out, what are you going to do about it?” he went on brazenly.  “You can’t arrest me on shipboard.”

“No, but we can have you arrested when we land,” said Dick.  “And in the meantime we will take charge of what is our own.”

“Here are some pawn tickets for the diamonds,” said Sam, who was continuing the search.  “They show he got seventy-five dollars on them.”

“We will keep the tickets—­and the seventy-five dollars, too—­if we can find the money,” said Tom.

But the money could not be found, for the greater part had been turned over to Captain Blossom for Baxter’s passage to Australia and the rest spent before leaving shore.  The pocketbook contained only two hundred and thirty dollars.

“What did he pay you for the passage?” questioned Dick of the captain.

“One hundred dollars.”

“Then you ought to turn that amount over to our credit.”

“Why, what do you mean?”

“I mean that Dan Baxter has no right to a free passage on your ship, since he bought that passage with our money.  Let him work his way and place that passage money to our credit.”

“That’s the way to talk,” put in Tom.  “Make him work by all means.”

“He deserves good, hard labor,” came from Sam.

“I don’t think you can make me work!” burst out Dan Baxter.  “I am a passenger and I demand that I be treated as such.”

“You are an impostor!” returned Captain Blossom bluntly.  “The fact that you used an assumed name proves it.  If I wanted to do so, I could clap you in the ship’s brig until we reach port and chain you into the bargain.  I want no thieves on board my ship.”

“Here is more of our clothing,” came from Tom.

“Pick out all the things that are yours,” said the captain.  “And take the other things that are yours, too.”

This was done, nobody paying any attention to Baxter’s protests.  When the Rovers had what there was of their things the captain turned to the bully.

“I’ve made up my mind about you,” he said, speaking with great deliberation.  “I am master here, and a judge and jury into the bargain.  You can take your choice:  Either sign articles as a foremast hand for the balance of the trip, or be locked up as a prisoner, on prison rations.”

“Do you mean th—­that?” gasped Baxter, turning pale.