of his chums, Paul Drew and Innis Beeby, as he turned the wheel of
a new motor-boat and sent the craft about in a graceful sweep toward
a small dock which connected with a little excursion resort on the
Kentfield river.

"Like her! Who could help it?" asked Paul, looking about admiringly
at the fittings of the craft. "Why, you could go on a regular
cruise in her!"

"You might if you kept near your base of supplies," remarked Dick.

"Base of supplies!" laughed Innis. "Can't you forget, for a while,
that you're at a military school, old man, and not give us the sort
of stuff we get in class all the while?"

"Well, what I meant," explained the young millionaire owner of the
motor-boat, "was that you couldn't carry enough food aboard, and
have room to move about, if you went on a very long trip."

"That's right, you couldn't," agreed Paul. "And of late I seem to
have acquired the eating habit in its worst form."

"I never knew the time when you didn't have it," responded Dick.
"I'm going to give you a chance to indulge in it right now, and I'm
going to profit by your example."

"What's doing?" asked Innis, as he straightened the collar of his
military blouse, for the three were in the fatigue uniforms of the
Kentfield Military Academy, where Dick and his chums attended.
Lessons and practice were over for the day, and the young