Merriwell’s lips remained firmly closed.
“Won’t you!” grated Chester. “I bet you will! I know you will! I will choke you till you do it!”
With his left hand he seized Dick by the throat.
A moment later Merriwell rose to his feet, tearing his hands free, and struck Chet a blow that sent him clean across the cabin. With his feet still bound, Dick was unable to follow up this advantage.
Chester recovered and gave a cry to Lazaro and the sailors:
“Jump on him! Down him!” he panted.
As they started toward Merriwell another surprising thing happened, for Tom Moran suddenly produced a pistol, which he leveled at them.
“Hold up, you drunken dogs!” he exclaimed. “This thing has gone too far! It stops right here! Back up, or I will blow you full of holes!”
They halted in their tracks.
“What?—what?—what?” gasped Chet, in astonishment. “What ails you, Moran? What do you mean?”