carry out their pleasant little scheme, suddenly and without warning,
found a spray of hot water touching every exposed part of their skin!

Do you wonder that they immediately let out a few yelps, and scrambling
to their feet, rushed headlong away, followed by the laughter and jeers
of Bobolink and his hard-working assistant.

"Go it, you tigers! My! what sprinters you can be, when you only half
try! Come again, when you cool off a bit! Plenty more of the same kind on
tap! Don't be bashful, Teddy; let's hear from you again, and often. Whee!
just listen to 'em howl, would you?"

Perhaps some of those who were with Ted Slavin in his little game were
more frightened than hurt by the hot water, but they certainly did
chatter as they kept on up the river bank. Little danger of them making
another try to injure the boats again that night!

Of course Spider and Tom Bates had jumped up at the first outbreak, ready
to help repel boarders. Their assistance was not needed; but they enjoyed
the joke as much as their chums and for the next half hour all sat
around, talking, and comparing notes.

But finally silence again rested over the scene; Spider and Tom
condescended to crawl under their blankets again for another "cat-nap,"
as the former dubbed it, while Bobolink and his able assistant resumed
their duties as sentries.

The night, however, was disturbed no more by any outbreak. Those would-be
jokers seemed to know when they had taken hold of what Bobolink termed
the "business end of a buzz-saw;" at any rate they were only conspicuous