The village in which the Fearlesses lived was not a large one, but it contained some people who were very friendly to the master diver and his son, and also contained some who were just the opposite. Among the latter were Lemuel Hankers and his eighteen-year-old son Bart. The Hankers were distantly related to the Fearlesses, but as the latter were poor, the relationship was never acknowledged by the former. Indeed, Bart Hankers took particular pains to snub Dave Fearless upon every possible occasion. Some of the snubbings flashed over Dave's mind as he sped after Bart Hankers, who was running to where he had left a small boat tied up at one of the village docks. "I'll show him that he is not to play the sneak on us, even if he does snub me," muttered Dave, as he reached the dock, to find Bart just entering the rowboat. In a minute he was at the stringpiece of the dock. "Hi, Bart Hankers, I want to talk to you!" he called out. "What do you want of me, Dave Fearless?" returned the rich youth, sullenly. "I want to know what you mean by playing sneak around our house." "Around your house? I haven't been near your house." "Yes, you have. You just came from there." "It's untrue. I have been up to Radley's store all the morning." "I saw you and so did my father. You're a nice sneak, you are, I must declare. If I were you I'd be ashamed of myself." "See here, if you call me a sneak, I'll punch your head for you, Dave Fearless!" howled Bart, angrily. "Well, you are a sneak, so there!" "So you want your head punched, do you?" "If I do, you're not able to do the job." "Won't I? I'll show you." And Bart leaped from the rowboat back to the dock. "You were up under our window listening to the talk between my father and me." "It isn't so!" "It's the truth." "You say another word and I'll thrash you within an inch of your life!" howled Bart, working himself up into a magnificent rage. "I am not afraid of you," answered Dave, calmly. The fact that Bart was two inches taller than himself and weighed at least fifteen pounds more did not daunt him. "Will you take back what you said?" "Instead of taking it back, I repeat what I said--you are a mean sneak, and I want everybody in this village to know it," answered Dave, in a loud voice. Several boys and a man were fishing near at hand, and now they drew closer to learn what was the cause of the trouble. The man, who did some work for Mr. Hankers, sided with Bart, but the boys all favored Dave. "Pitch into him, Dave," piped in one of the smaller lads. "He puts on too many airs, he does!" "Don't you dare to touch Mr. Hankers," put in the man. "I will do as I see fit, Hank Shores," retorted Dave. "Don't you interfere here." "Never mind him, Shores," said Bart, with a sneer. "I can handle him well enough alone, and I'll give him all he wants, too."