“I do.”

“But the passage money Goes to the credit of these young fellows.”

“It’s an outrage!”

“No, it’s simply justice, to my way of thinking.  I’ll give you until to-morrow to make up your mind what you will do.”

This ended the talk with Dan Baxter.  The captain said he wanted to see the Rover boys in the cabin, and they followed him to that place.

“Captain, I feel I must thank you for your fair way of managing this affair,” said Dick, feeling that a few good words at this point would not go amiss.  “I hope you treat Baxter as he deserves.”

“I will try to do right,” was Captain Blossom’s answer.  “But what I want to know now is, What do you intend to do with that money?  It seems to me I should be paid something for keeping you on board.”

“I have a proposition to make, captain.  We will give you two hundred dollars if you will allow us to consider ourselves passengers.  And by ‘us’ I mean the young ladies as well as ourselves.”

“It’s not very much.”

“If we pay you that amount it will leave us but thirty dollars, hardly enough with which to cable home for more.  Of course, when we get our money in Australia we will pay you whatever balance is due you,—­and something besides for saving us.”

This pleased Captain Blossom and he said he would accept the offer.  The matter was discussed for half an hour, and it was decided that the boys should have two staterooms, the one occupied by Baxter and another next to that given over to the girls.

When Dora, Nellie, and Grace heard of the new arrangement that had been made they were highly pleased.

“I didn’t want to see you do the work of a common sailor,” said Dora to Dick.

“Oh, it wouldn’t kill me,” he returned lightly.  “Even as it is, I’ll give a hand if it is necessary.”

“It’s a wonder Captain Blossom took to your offer so quickly.”

“He loves money, that’s why, Dora.  He would rather have that two hundred dollars than our services,” and with this remark Dick hit the nail squarely on the head.

CHAPTER X

A BLOW IN THE DARKNESS

It would be hard to describe Dan Baxter’s feelings after Captain Blossom and the Rover boys left him alone in his stateroom.  At one instant he was fairly shaking with rage, and at the next quaking with fear over what the future might hold in store for him.

“They have got the best of me again!” he muttered, clenching his fists.  “And after I felt sure I had escaped them.  It must have been Fate that made Captain Blossom pick them up.  Now I’ve either got to work as a common sailor or submit to being locked up in some dark, foul-smelling hole on the ship.  And when we get to Australia, unless I watch my chance to skip out, they’ll turn me over to the police.”

He could not sleep that night for thinking over the situation and was up and dressed before daylight.  Strolling on deck, he came face to face with Sam, who had come up to get the morning air.