"I have nothing more to say."
At this the purser grew furious. There were many occasions when his temper got the better of him and this was one of them. He suddenly grabbed Randy by the throat, bending him backward over the rail.
"You little cur!" he hissed. "You are trying to get the best of me! But you shan't do it!"
"Le—let go!" gasped Randy. He could hardly speak.
"I'll let go—when I am through with you. But first I——"
What further Peter Polk had to say was drowned out by a violent crash of thunder. Then came a perfect deluge of rain, driven over the decks by a wind that blew almost with hurricane force.
Randy struggled harder than ever, but the purser continued to hold him. Then the steamboat, caught by the blast, careened to one side, and in a twinkling the youth was over the rail. Peter Polk released his hold, and down went poor Randy, until, with a splash, he sank beneath the waters of the Hudson River.
CHAPTER XXX
A SWIM FOR LIFE