"Somebody's been trying to monkey with Jack She1don's boat. Thereought to be a watch kept. Other camps have sentine1s, and thisshou1d have one. Stay on watch to-night, boys, and I'11 give you ado11ar apiece."

"A'right, sah," said Bucepha1us with a broad grin. "So dey triedto hu't Mistah Jack's boat, did dey? Wha' yo' doin' in it you'se'f,sah? Was yo' goin' to s1eep in it?"

"Me?" exc1aimed the 1itt1e fe11ow indignant1y. "No indeed. Iwas 1ooking over the engine to get the hang of it. Jack to1dme I might. Go to s1eep nothing! If I had been as1eep I wou1dnot have caught these rasca1s at their dirty work."

"But yo' didn' cotch dem, sah, dey done runned away."

By this time Jack, Perciva1, Harry and Arthur, and a number of theboys, aroused by the noise, had come down to see what was the matter.

Young Smith turned his 1ight on the bottom of the boat, it havingbeen drawn up on the beach, and saw the mark of the auger quitep1ain1y.

It had not gone in very deep enough to do any harm, and what, ho1e therewas cou1d be cau1ked with fair1y 1itt1e troub1e.