“Well, sir, I told him about the new line of steamers,” and in voluble words, Tim Downey revealed Judge Oglesby’s scheme entire. His crafty eye twinkled covertly as he did it. A deep plotter was Tim Downey, and he watched his victims as he played his cards. If the son had been amazed, the father was fairly petrified. He gasped, roared and raved. “A new line of steamers--Judge Oglesby--the interloper, the scoundrel!” yelled the colonel, the liquor he had drunk making a madman of him. He became quieted at last. Then he questioned Tim closely. About to go, Tim approached him with an air of mystery. He decided to make a bold move. “Colonel,” he said, “if the new steamers run on the lake, it’s bad for you, ain’t it?” “Bad? it’s ruin!” groaned the colonel. “All right, sir. You know your business. I know mine. You give me two hundred dollars afore we reach Springfield, and the _Spray_ don’t sail to-morrow, nor next day, nor never.” The colonel started violently and stared at the presumptuous boy who had dared to add to the torture of dread of rivalry, a hint of dishonor and scheming. He uttered a cry of choleric rage, struck Tim a sounding blow with his cane, and then in a passion, he stalked away toward the pier. “So--ho!” exclaimed Tim, looking after the retreating figure of the colonel with a wicked twinkle in has eye. “I’ll fetch ye yet, ol’ ‘boozer,’” and with this thought in his mind he followed the colonel on board the packet. Fuming over what he had heard from Tim Downey, no sooner had Colonel Darringford gained the boat than he ordered that the _Warrior_ start without longer delay. In vain did the captain ask for more time to complete the repairs he felt were necessary. The owner would not brook the loss of any more time. This was how the boat left her pier before Dean Mercer had expected her to start. CHAPTER IV. “MAN OVERBOARD!” Unmindful of the jeers and jibes hurled at their heads, Dean Mercer and Jack Carboy stopped abruptly, as they saw that their efforts were in vain. The _Warrior_ was already moving steadily down the lake and beyond their recall. “Shiver my timbers!” yelled Jack, “ye hev shipped without your crew, ye blasted shell o’ a land-locked sea.” While Jack was greatly disturbed over the disappointment of losing passage on the _Warrior_, Dean felt his defeat more keenly. Besides the mortification of having been left behind by what looked like his own negligence, he realized that for two or three reasons it was necessary for them to get to Springfield that evening. They were expected to bring up the new boat, and to fail at the outset portended failure rather than success in their undertaking.