"Sheer off there," roared Jack at the top of his lungs, to the occupants of the other boat; "do you want to run us down?"
"Get out of the way then," cried the boy.
"Yes, sheer off yourselves, whipper-snappers!" came from the man.
"We've got the right of way!" cried Jack.
"Go chase yourselves," yelled Noddy, reverting in this moment of excitement, as was his habit at such times, to his almost forgotten slang.
"Keep her on her course, Donald; never mind those young jack-a-napes," said the man in the other sloop, addressing the boy, who was steering.
"All right, pop," was the reply; "they'll get the worst of the smash if they don't clear out."
"Gracious, they really mean to run us down," cried Jack, in a voice of alarm. "Better sheer off, Noddy, though I hate to do it."
"By jinks, do you see who they are?" cried Bill Raynor, who had been studying the pair in the other boat, which was now only a few yards off. "It's that millionaire Hiram Judson and his son Donald, the boy you had the run in with at the hotel the other day."
But Jack made no reply. The two boats were now almost bowsprit to bowsprit. As for Noddy, the freckles stood out on his pale, frightened face like spots on the sun.
CHAPTER II.
"SPEEDAWAY" VS. "CURLEW."
But at the critical moment the lad at the helm of the other craft, which bore the name Speedaway, appeared to lose his nerve. He sheered off and merely grazed the Curlew's side, scraping off a lot of paint.
"Hi, there! What do you mean by doing such a thing?" demanded Jack, directly the danger of a head-on collision was seen to have been averted.
The other lad broke into a laugh. It was echoed by the man with him, whom he had addressed as "pop."
"Just thought I'd see how much you fellows knew about handling a boat," he sneered. "It's just as I thought, you're a bunch of scare-cats. You needn't have been afraid that I couldn't keep the Speedaway out of danger."
"You risked the lives of us all by running so close," cried Billy indignantly.
"Never attempt such a thing again," said Jack angrily, "or – "
"Or what, my nervous young friend?" taunted the elderly man.
"Yes," said the lad, with an unpleasant grin, "what will you do?"
"I shall feel sorely tempted to come on board your boat and give you the same sort of a thrashing I gave you the other day when I found you tormenting that poor dog," said Jack, referring to the incident Billy Raynor had already hinted at when he first recognized the occupants of the Speedaway.
"You'll never set foot on my boat," cried Donald Judson, with what he meant to be dangerous emphasis; but his face had suddenly become very pale. "You think you got the best of me the other day, but I'll fix you yet."
The two craft were out of earshot almost by this time, and none of the three lads on the Curlew thought it worth while to answer Donald Judson. The millionaire and his son occupied an island not far from the Pine Island Hotel. A few days before the incident we have just recorded, Jack, who hated cruelty in any form, had found Donald Judson, who often visited the hotel to display his extensive assortment of clothes, amusing himself by torturing a dog. When Jack told him to stop it the millionaire's son started to fight, and Jack, finding a quarrel forced upon him, ended it in the quickest way – by knocking the boy flat.
Donald slunk off, swearing to be revenged. But Jack had only laughed at him and advised him to forget the incident except as a lesson in kindness to animals. It appeared, however, that, far from forgetting his humiliation, Donald Judson was determined to avenge it even at the risk of placing his own life in danger.
"I wonder if he followed us up to-day on purpose to try to ram us or force us on a sandbar?" mused Noddy, as they sailed on.
"Looks like it," said Billy.
"I believe he is actually sore enough to sink our boat if he could, even if he damaged his own in doing it," said Jack.
"To my mind his father is as bad he is," said Noddy; "he made no attempt to stop him. If I – Look, they've put their boat about and are following us."
"There's no doubt that they are," said Jack, after a moment's scrutiny of the latest maneuver of the Speedaway. The Judsons' boat, which was larger, and carried more sail and was consequently faster than the Curlew, gained rapidly on the boys. Soon she was within hailing distance.
"What are you following us for? Want to have another collision?" cried Jack.
"Do you own the water hereabouts?" asked Donald. "I didn't know I was following you."
"We've a right to sail where we please," shouted Judson.
"Yes, if you don't imperil other folks' boats," agreed Jack. "If you've got any scheme in mind to injure us I'd advise you to forget it," he added.
"Huh! What scheme would I have in mind? Think I'd bother with insignificant chaps like you and your little toy boat?"
"You keep out of our way," added the man.
"Yes, just do that little thing if you know what's healthy for you," chimed in Donald Judson.
His insulting tone aroused Jack's ire.
"It'll be the worse for you if you try any of your tricks," he roared.
"What tricks would I have, Ready?" demanded the other.
"Some trick that may turn out badly for you!"
"I guess I don't need you to tell me what I will or what I won't do."
"All right, only keep clear of us. That's fair warning. You'll get the worst of it if you don't."
"So, young man, you are going to play the part of bully, are you?" shouted Donald's father. "That fits in with what I've heard of you from him. You've been prying around our boat for several days. I don't like it."
"Well, keep away from us," cried Billy.
"Yes, your room's a lot better than your company," sputtered Noddy. "We don't care if you never come back."
"Really, what nice language," sneered Donald. "I congratulate you on your gentlemanly friend, Ready. He – "
"Look out there," warned Jack, for Noddy, in his indignation, had sprung to his feet, entirely forgetting the tiller. The Curlew broached to and heeled over, losing "way." The Speedaway came swiftly on. In an instant there was a ripping, tearing sound and a concerted shout of dismay from the boys as the sharp bow of Judson's larger, heavier craft cut deep into the Curlew's quarter.
"Now you've done it!" cried Billy Raynor.
"I – er – it was an accident," cried Donald, as the two boats swung apart, and there was some justification for this plea, as the Speedaway was also damaged, though not badly.
"It was no accident," cried Jack, but he said no more just then. He was too busy examining the rent in the Curlew's side.
Still shivering, like a wounded creature, from the shock of the impact, the Curlew, with the water pouring into the jagged rip in her side, began slowly to sink!
CHAPTER III.
CAPTAIN SIMMS OF THE "THESPIS."
Silence, except for the inrush of water into the damaged side of the Curlew, followed the collision. The three lads on the sinking craft gazed helplessly at each other for a few seconds.
"Get away as quick as you can," whispered Donald's father to the boy who had wrought the damage, and now looked rather scared. The Speedaway swung out and her big mainsail began to fill.
"We are going to the bottom," choked out Billy, the first of the party to recover the use of his vocal organs.
"I'm afraid there's no doubt of that," said Jack. "Donald Judson," he shouted,