now the latter fully comprehended his feelings.

"It's a beastly shame!" cried Rollo; "or rather it's two beastly
shames, and if you say so, old man, we'll just quietly chuck that Major
fellow overboard, so that you can have his boat all to yourself. Then,
instead of going ashore, you head down the bay for some place where you
can hide until we come along and pick you up."

"That's a great scheme," replied Ridge, with a sorrowful little smile,
"but I am afraid it wouldn't work, and so there is nothing left for me
but submission to the inevitable. I do hate to go with Dodley, though."

Just here Ensign Comly appeared on the scene with his brother, whom he
was bidding farewell.

"I say, Comly!" cried Rollo, who knew him, "why can't you set my friend
Norris here ashore? It wouldn't be much out of your way, would it?"

"Not at all," answered the ensign, courteously. "And I should be
pleased to accommodate any friend of yours. I must go at once, though;
so, if Mr. Norris will come on deck--"

"Oh, but that won't do," interrupted Van Kyp. "He must get off the
ship without any one on deck seeing him." With this he explained the
situation to the ensign, who readily grasped it, and said:

"All right. I'll run my boat in under this sideport, and he can drop
out of it if the sentry will let him pass."

Of course the guard at the wide freight port left open for a better