“I might accept the right kind of a job,” Brent replied, “but I shouldn’t want any menagerie on board with me. Where are you boys going?”
“Oh, well,” Alex. said, gravely, though there was fun in his eyes, “if you object to our pets, that settles it! We brought Captain Joe, the bulldog, from the Amazon, and Teddy Bear, the cub, from British Columbia.”
“Oh, if they’re tame!” the other exclaimed. “I might——”
“I’ll call ’em out an’ see what they say to you!” Alex. replied, mischief in his eyes, opening the cabin door and inviting the bulldog and the bear out to the deck!
Captain Joe snarled at the man’s feet and Teddy Bear stood up and squared off in front of him in a boxing attitude! Brent swung toward the little pier against which the motor boat lay, and the animals, thus encouraged, sprang at him.
In a minute the pilot was on the pier, racing toward the shore as if for his life! Clay came out on deck and both boys stood laughing at the retreating figure. Presently Brent came to an old warehouse, where security might be found in an open doorway. Here he stopped and turned back, shaking a fist at the grinning lads.
“I’ll be even with you for that!” he shouted. “I’ll teach you to set your dog on me, you miserable little bum-boat tramps! I’ll show you!”
“Get him, Captain Joe!” cried Alex., angry at the impertinent language used, but Clay caught the bulldog by the collar and held him back.
“All right!” smiled Alex. “Let the tramp go, if you want to! Anyway, I’m about half starved! Funny, Case and Jule don’t get back! They’ve been gone three hours!”
“They’ll get cold beans for supper if they don’t show up pretty soon!” Clay said, turning back to the cabin. “The ham and eggs and potatoes are just done!”