"What do you want?" demanded Frank.
"We want this boat," was the reply.
"Well, you've got it!" Jack said, angrily.
"Of course we have," was the reply. "We seem to be getting about everything we want in this corner of the world! Where are the others?"
"Gone after a battleship!" declared Jack.
The man grinned and, opening the cabin door, stepped inside. He was tall, rather slender, with clean-cut features and bright gray eyes. His bearing was that of a gentleman, and Frank began to have an indefinable idea that he had met him before somewhere, just where he could not decide. The fellow evidently was an American, though his followers seemed to be Chinese and Filipinos.
"So he's gone after a battleship, has he?" the intruder said, shutting the cabin door behind him, after making sure that his men were standing at attention with their guns. "Do they pick battleships off trees up on the hill?"
"I don't see anything funny about it," Jack said, sourly. "Who do you mean by 'he'? What do you know about the crew of the boat?"
"I've heard of Mr. Ned Nestor," was the calm reply, "and was hoping to meet him here. However, you seem to be cheerful young fellows, and a cruise with you may not result in lost time. You are Jack Bosworth and Frank Shaw. Which one is Shaw, and which one is Bosworth?"
"I'm Shaw," answered Frank, somewhat amused at the cool impudence of the man. "What is your name?"