“I have been to sea, sir; but I am only a coaster now.” “And what are you going to do with that pretty toy?” “I am going to ask landlord Rich of the tavern to buy it of me, sir.” “Why do you sell it?” The lad’s face flushed, and after a moment he said: “Well, sir, my mother is ill, and I wish to have the doctor go and see her, and sell the ship to get the money to pay him and buy medicines with.” “Well, lad, in spite of your fancy rig, your heart lies in the right place, I see; but what do you want for the craft?” “It ought to be worth fifteen dollars, sir.” “It is worth more, and I wish I had the money to buy it; but if the landlord don’t buy it, I’ll see what I can do.” “I thank you, sir,” and the lad was going on, when the group of youths, who had heard all that had passed, laughed rudely, while one said: “Let me see your boat, sea cub?” The lad’s face flushed, but he knew that the speaker was the son of a rich shipping merchant of the town, and was a spendthrift, who might pay him a fancy price for his toy, if he wished to do so, and he, therefore, handed the ship to him without reply. It was the same youth who had suggested to the others to tease the lad, and looking critically at the ship, he said: “It looks fairly well to a landsman, but whoever saw such a rig on a ship?” “And the hull has no shape to it,” said another. “Just look at the rake of the masts.” “And the cut of her bow.” “Whoever saw such a stern on anything but a mudscow.” “If you do not wish to purchase the boat, Scott Clemmons, give it back to me,” said Mark Merrill, suppressing his anger. “I’ll buy her, if she can stand a cyclone, sea cub,” said Scott Clemmons insolently. “Let’s see if she can, Scott,” another said. “All right, Birney, hold out your arm.” The youth addressed held his arms out firmly on a level, and whirling suddenly around, with the boat grasped in both hands, he brought it with full force close to the deck against the outstretched arms of Ben Birney. The result was the wreck of the toy ship, for the masts were broken, the decks swept clean. But quickly as the act had been done, the movements of the young sailor were quicker, for once, twice, his blows fell full in the faces of the two destroyers, and they dropped their length upon the pavement. CHAPTER II. THE ARREST. The three youths of the group who had not taken a hand in the destruction of the toy ship had seemed at first to regret their inability to also fret the young sailor; but the moment that the two ringleaders, Scott Clemmons and Ben Birney, had measured their length upon the ground, falling with a force that seemed to knock the breath out of them for a moment, the trio appeared delighted that they had no hand in the breaking of the little miniature ship, and stepped quickly backward out of reach of the dangerous arm of Mark Merrill.