The Boy Chums in the Gulf of Mexico / or, On a Dangerous Cruise with the Greek Spongers

ed for his crew was the tall handsome

haved, and he is every inch a sailor. I would ask Manuel about him but it is bad policy to discuss one of the crew with anoth

s face grew red with anger, and he replied shortly in a few hissing words. With a bound, the Greek cleared the space between the two and struck the sailor full in the mouth

n Westfield, belaying pin in h

d. "I'll do what fighting the

th hate, then he glanced beyond him at the two lads

llenly, as he slowly repla

your own hands. I'm master of this schooner, an' you might as well

reek spoke to him rapidly, but he t

we had never seen that Greek. I believe he insulted that sailor.

emark to the capt

e a trouble-maker but he'll find he's got the wrong man to deal with. I've

lter said. "How are you going to get at the truth of

will try something like th

han an hour the Greek

d," he said suavely. "The cook, he is very abusive, I tried to

aft," Captain We

d-looking cook aft with a loo

oad-shouldered, well-muscled fellow. He spoke to him brie

a rope and spread it in

opped right off," he declared, addressi

urrendered

nd fight it out to a finish," he ordere

e rapidly to the cook. "He has apologize

nsults you, I am going to make you give him a good licking in a square fist fight. I

nts from him right off," he chuckled as

anguage," Charley said, gravely. "I don't believe he had a bit of trouble with the coo

ome I'll iron him and put him down in the hold. I reckon I can make the rest understa

harge of the deck and went below to wr

he said when he returned. "I didn't realize before how big they are. Why,

rs seem to come from Key West," Charley remarked, '"Of K

would scatter out around her, two men in each boat. One man would do the sculling and the other would lean over the bow with a water glass in one hand-a pail with a pane of glass for a bottom-and a long pole with a hook in the end in the other. When he spied a sponge on the bottom through the g

y!" from the cook' galley forward and Chris, dripping with water, b

s, Massa Captain," he cried. "He's

" the captain asked wit

tellin' him how he had outer do, an' tryin' to show de ignorant man

ttle negro's brilliant clothing and his f

hecked his de

got no business in his galley. A cook is always bos

protest indignantly, but

an' have some one poking arou

d, "I wouldn't stand such doin's. 'Spect dough dat my goo

suggested. "They are too fine to wear at sea.

that the crew regarded the little fellow in his gay apparel with a co

o shorten sail. Soon one rounded up into the wind, dropped anchor and lowered sail. A mile further on another one anchored, a mi

until the last schooner was passed then anch

the boys who had been puzzled by the fleet's maneu

ished the boys strolled forward

n filled with some kind of stew. This they divided into four eq

stituted their meal, but the boys, hearty eaters themselves,

o much grub," Charley remarked. "They ar