"They're midshipmen," he announced. "Gray and Lambert, of our class, and Haynes and Whipple of the second class."
"They've young ladies with them."
"Certainly."
"Isn't it rather risky for midshipmen to have control of the boat, then, with no older man along?" asked Mrs. Meade.
"It ought not to be," Dave replied. "Midshipmen of the upper classes are expected to be familiar with the handling of sailboats."
"Those fellows are getting careless, at any rate," muttered Dan Dalzell. "Look at the way that sail is behaving. Those fellows are paying too much attention to the girls and too little heed to the handling of the craft!"
Even as Dalzell spoke the helm was jammed over and the boat started to come about.
"Confound Lambert! He ought to ease off his sheet a good bit," snapped Midshipman Dalzell.
"Helmsman, point our boat so as to pass under the other craft's stern," spoke Darrin so quietly that only Dan and Belle overheard him.
"Aye, aye, sir," murmured the helmsman, in a very low voice.
Dave signaled the engineman silently to increase the speed.