By this time the two boats were nearly bowsprit to bowsprit, and Sam Rover's heart almost stopped beating. But now Mumps spoke to the man with him, and his craft, called the Falcon, sheered to port, scraping the Spray's side as she did so.
"Mumps, what do you mean by such work?" demanded Dick, when the immediate danger was past.
"Ha! ha! I thought I would give you a scare," laughed the former sneak of Putnam Hall.
"You needn't be afraid but what I and old Bill Goss here know how to keep the Falcon out of danger."
"It was foolishness to run so close," said Tom.
"Don't you talk to me, Tom Rover. I've had enough of you, mind that."
"And I want you to mind and keep off next time, Mumps. If you don't—"
"What will you do?"
"I'll be tempted to come aboard the Falcon and give you a thrashing."
"You'll never set foot on my boat, and I'm not afraid of you," roared Mumps. "You think you got the best of me at Putnam Hall, but you didn't, and I want you to know it."