you had escaped from jail I went and bought a pistol in
Cedarville." This was the strict truth, but Dick did not add that
the weapon lay at that moment safe in the bottom of his trunk at
the Hall.

"Got afraid I'd come around, eh?"

"I knew there was nothing like becoming prepared. Now will you -"

Dick did not have time to finish, for, lowering the front end of
the pistol, Dan Baxter pulled the trigger twice and two reports
rang out in quick succession. One bullet buried itself in the
seat beside Tom, while the second plowed its way through the
bottom, near the stern.

"You villain!" cried Dick, and in his excitement hurled his oar at
Dan Baxter, hitting the fellow across the fact with such force
that the bully's nose began to bleed. The shock made Baxter lose
his hold on the pistol and it went over the side of his craft and
sank immediately to the bottom of the lake.

"My, but that was a close shave!" muttered Tom, as he gazed at the
hole through the seat. "A little closer and I would have got it
in the stomach."

A yell now came from Sam, and a shriek from the girls, all of whom
had heard the pistol shots. They were too far away to see the
result of the shooting and feared both Tom and Dick had been
killed or wounded.