however, and, led by Larry, burst out into a laugh that made Puss and
his loyal backers scowl.

"If that bingle was an accident, don't we wish we had a few more players
who could shut their eyes and meet Frazer's terrible speed balls and
curves in the same way!" one fellow exclaimed.

"So say we all of us!" another cried.

Puss realized that the majority on board the _Siren_ were against
him. But he was not given to taking water; even his enemies, and he had
many in Bloomsbury, could hardly say that Puss was lacking in a certain
kind of grit; while stubbornness he possessed in abundance.

So he just shut his white teeth hard together, and looked scowlingly
around the bunch of fellows. And many of them felt a little chill when
those cold gray eyes rested upon them; for they knew of old what
happened when Puss Carberry made up his mind to mark a boy for future
attention.

Frank still stood there by the side of the boat, smiling. Perhaps his
very apparent unconcern served to make the other still more angry. There
had been bad blood between these two lads for a long time, and more than
once it threatened an eruption, which somehow or other had up to now
been stayed.

Although some weeks had passed since the much-talked-of race between the
rival aeroplanes, piloted by these two boys, in which Frank took his
little craft up to the lofty summit of Old Thunder Top ahead of Puss in
his biplane, as narrated in the first volume of this series, entitled