"Them boys are all asleep," said another man. "Row up to her easy, and we can dump 'em on to the meadow before they get waked up."
"Boat ahoy!" called out Charley, springing up. "Who are you, and what do you want?"
"We're the United States frigate Constitution," replied one of the men. "We want to hear you chaps say your catechism." So saying, the men resumed their oars, and rowed toward the Ghost.
"Keep off," cried Charley. "If you come near us, we will fire into you. I give you fair warning."
The men who were rowing stopped for a moment, but the man in the stern, ordering them to row on, fired a pistol, the bullet of which whistled over Tom's head, and made him "duck" in the most polite manner. On came the row-boat, but Charley, who had hastily pointed the gun, scratched a match, and stood sheltering the flame with his hand, and waiting for the sulphur to burn out, as coolly as if he were in his own room. In a few seconds the blue flame was succeeded by the bright glow of the burning wood, and touching the match to the priming, Charley stepped hastily back, while the explosion that followed sounded to the excited boys like the roar of a thirty-two-pounder.
One or two of the marbles hit the row-boat, for the rattle made by them was distinctly heard; but most of Charley's canister-shot flew over the heads of the men without touching them. They were, however, thoroughly alarmed, and putting the boat around, rowed rapidly away. Charley had dropped on his knees the instant after he had fired, and was now reloading with the utmost haste, ramming down a handful of nails that he drew from his pocket, where he had kept them in reserve, wrapped in a torn piece of his handkerchief.
"Hurrah!" shouted Harry. "We've beat 'em. I only wish we had sunk their boat."
"That wouldn't have done us any good," said Charley. "If they don't come back again, I shall be entirely satisfied."
"What a bang the old cannon made!" exclaimed Joe. "I wonder if we really hit anybody?"
"If we had, we would have known it," replied Charley. "I think we've frightened them away. They know that every yacht generally carries a gun, and they won't suspect that we hadn't anything but marbles to fire at them. If we do have to fire again, we shall do some mischief, for I've loaded the gun with nails, and they will do twice as much execution as marbles."