"We had better go armed," he said. "Keep your eyes open, for they
may try to play us a foul trick. And don't let Lesher talk you into
obeying him. He has no authority whatever over you."
"All right, Dick, I'll stand by ye always from this minit on," said
Jerry, and the compact was sealed by a handshake.
The girls came down to see them off, and Dora warned Dick again to
be on guard. It was decided that Lesher and old Jerry should do the
rowing. Baxter sat in the bow of the boat, and Dick in the stern.
The trip to the wreck was accomplished in almost utter silence.
Everybody was busy with his thoughts. As they drew near Dick showed
the mate where a ladder hung from the side, and as they drew close
to this Baxter was the first to mount to the deck.
As Dick had surmised, Lesher's first hunt was for liquor, and he
drank several glasses at a gulp. Then he began to roam around the
wreck, noting the damage that had been done and the amount of stores
still on board.
"Might float her, if the tide got extra high," he said. "Eleven men
in our crowd and five in your own ought to be able to do something,
surely."
"The captain says the ship is too deep in the sand," answered Dick
briefly.
"Blossom don't know everything," growled the mate.
Both he and Baxter soon found some comfortable clothing, and put it
on. Then they made up a bundle of things they said the other sailors
needed.
When arming themselves, the Rovers and Captain Blossom had placed
all of the remaining firearms in a stateroom and locked the door.
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