"Just what I do, Bandy-legs," replied the other, stoutly; "because the
feller I had in my mind was Ted Shafter."

"What's that; Ted Shafter!" echoed Bandy-legs, aghast.

"Or if not him, then Shack Beggs, or Amiel Toots!" went on Steve,
doggedly nodding his stubborn head up and down, as though the idea had
secured a firm footing in his mind, and would not easily be dislodged.

Owen turned to his cousin Max. Somehow, in moments of sudden need, it
was noticeable how they all seemed to place great dependence on Max.

"Could that be so, Max?" he asked. "Would you think that bunch of
fellows'd take the trouble to come all the way up here just to bother
us?"

"Oh! so far as bothering us went, I believe they'd go to even more
trouble than that," was the reply Max made. "The only question in my
mind is, whether they'd have the nerve to come over to this island at
night time, just to try and give us a little turn."

"Of course they knew all about what we expected to do?" suggested Owen.

"We can be sure of that," replied his cousin. "In the first place, Shack
Beggs was in that mob that saw us get under way. Then again either
Shack, or some other boy in his crowd, must have managed to get into our
clubhouse last night after we left, and bored that hole through the
bottom of the cedar canoe, thinking we wouldn't notice it."

"Wonder they didn't slash a knife through the canvas boats in the