This was decided on, and all of the crowd leaped into Harry’s boat. They brought the craft around to the yacht’s bow, and then every one took an oar.
“See, they are hauling off the yacht!” cried Harry. “They mean to get away somehow.”
“We’ll race them,” replied Jerry.
They bent to their oars and made the old hermit’s boat fairly fly through the water. Slowly they crept nearer and nearer. It was an exciting chase.
“Take my place, Blumpo!” cried Jerry, at last, and the boy willingly obeyed.
Jerry leaped into the bow, and taking up his gun pointed it at Si Peters’ head.
“Si Peters!” he called-out, “do you see this gun? Unless you stop rowing I’ll fire at you, no matter what the consequences are.”
Si Peters turned deadly white, for he was in reality a big coward.
“Do you hear me?” went on Jerry. “One—two—th——”
“Stop! don’t shoot!” yelled the Rockpoint bully, and he held up his oar.