"Say," called the man in the cockpit, "don't you start nothin', because we got you covered. If there's any shootin' you'll get the worst of it."
The man forward dropped to a knee, his gaze turned warily toward the enemy, and took hold of the anchor cable. As he did so Steve whipped his revolver into sight and flattened himself against the bulkhead. A sharp report broke the silence and a bullet sang its way across the Follow Me's bow. The man dropped the rope and sprang back along the roof to tumble frightenedly into the cockpit. From the cabin of the Adventurer floated up the acrid smoke of Wink's revolver. The man at the stern of the other boat had instantly disappeared.
"Look out," shouted Perry from the forward cabin. "They're going to shoot from the ports! Come down from there, Steve!"
But Steve's hand was on the clutch and, as the Adventurer began to go astern, his other hand turned the spokes of the wheel and the cruiser's bow came slowly around toward the Follow Me. "Come up here, Wink," he called, and then: "Put that hatch up all the way and keep behind it," he added as Wink slipped to his side. "Can you get them from there?"
"Fine!" answered the other cheerfully.
"I'll try to keep her bow-on. Careful not to kill anyone, old man. Shoot for their arms."
"How can I when they're out of sight down there?" Wink complained. "All I can do is shoot for the ports."
"Don't shoot at all unless you have to," Steve cautioned. "We don't want to knock any more splinters off her than necessary."
"We're too near, Steve. The deck's getting in the way."
"I'll back her off." The Adventurer retreated until Wink, his elbow resting on the closed cover of the chart-box, could train his revolver on the Follow Me's ports. Several of the others emerged from the cabins and huddled from sight on the deck.