"The principal ordered us never to come in collision with any of the boats from the other side, sir," replied Woodhorn respectfully.
"Are you going to leave your fellow-students on the shore to be mauled by those rascals?"
"I don't believe the tinkers will meddle with them as long as they stay on shore."
"But you want the rest of your oarsmen, and I want you all at Sandy Point. There is the biggest pile of fun for you over there that you ever had in your lives," continued Major Billcord, moderating his tone a little when he found his own wishes were in conflict with the orders of the principal.
Neither Jack Woodhorn nor Phil Fessenden, the coxswain of the Racer, was disposed to get into a row with the Beech Hillers. Both of them had been in the barges the summer before in all their tilts with the Gildrock and the Winooski, and they had learned wisdom from experience. It was in vain, therefore, that Major Billcord coaxed and threatened them. With a pair of black eyes out of the battle of the day before, Walk was hardly inclined to support his father, though he was quite as anxious as the magnate to get Paul into their possession.
For full a quarter of an hour the boats remained in the same relative position. The six ruffians on the shore had come to the conclusion that there was no getting out of the deadlock, and that the only way for them to earn their money was to march their prisoner to Sandy Point by land, a distance of two miles.
Bissell had run the Silver Moon into the mouth of the creek, and had been waiting for some movement on the part of the combatants in which he might do something to serve his friends. The ruffians were jawing among themselves as to what it was best to do, but he could not hear enough of their talk to understand their plans, if they had any. The skipper's patience was exhausted, and, taking his painter in his hands, he went on shore. Securing the rope, he walked up the bank.
"What are you trying to do?" he asked, addressing his remark to Mad Twinker.
"We want to put this fellow on board of the Dasher," replied the leader, as he had been since the overthrow of Buck Lamb.