{Illustration: cover} THE BOYS OF THE "PUFFIN" BRITISH BOYS' LIBRARY _Titles uniform with this volume_ THE WAY OF THE WEASEL (A Public School Story) _John Mowbray_ GENERAL JOHN _Evelyn Everett-Green_ DICK'S DARING _A. H. Biggs_ SLEEPY SAUNDERS _Rowland Walker_ LOYALTY BOB _Walter Copeland_ THE HON. MASTER JINX _Rowland Walker_ BROWN A1 _E. M. Stooke_ THE YELLOW PUP _Evelyn Everett-Green_ THE MYSTERY OF STOCKMERE SCHOOL _Percy F. Westerman_ THE LITTLE DUKE _Charlotte M. Yonge_ ---- S. W. PARTRIDGE & Co., 4, 5 & 6, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.1 {illustration: "'DON'T LET IT BUMP ALONGSIDE, WHATEVER YOU DO!'" [_P_. 36} THE BOYS OF THE "PUFFIN" A SEA SCOUT YARN By PERCY F. WESTERMAN Author of "The Mystery of Stockmere School," "Sinclair's Luck," etc. _Illustrated by_ G. W. GOSS {illustration: logo} S. W. PARTRIDGE & CO. 4, 5 & 6, SOHO SQUARE, LONDON, W.1. MADE IN GREAT BRITAIN CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. THE DEPUTY SCOUTMASTER . . . . . . . . . . . 7 II. A LONG PASSAGE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 III. "LET ME OUT, OR----" . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 IV. THE MIS-SPELT WORD . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 V. THE PERIL IN THE FAIRWAY . . . . . . . . . . 32 VI. TO SCUTTLE HIS SHIP . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 VII. THROUGH THE FOG BANK . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 VIII. THE DESERTED STEAMER . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 IX. TOWED INTO PORT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 X. A SURPRISE--AND AN ARREST . . . . . . . . . 63 XI. THE MYSTERIOUS VISITOR . . . . . . . . . . . 66 XII. ADRIFT--THEN AGROUND . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 XIII. A SUCCESSFUL RUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 XIV. ON THE TRACK OF THE "PUFFIN" . . . . . . . . 87 XV. THE FISHING EXPEDITION . . . . . . . . . . . 93 XVI. CATCHING A TARTAR . . . . . . . . . . . . 101 XVII. THE ATTACK ON THE "FROLIC" . . . . . . . . 106 XVIII. CLEARING UP THE MYSTERY . . . . . . . . . 112 XIX. THE SHIP-KEEPERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 XX. THE CURMUDGEON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 XXI. THE MISSING BIRDS . . . . . . . . . . . . 130 XXII. FIRE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 XXIII. CAUGHT BY THE SQUALL . . . . . . . . . . . 141 XXIV. OVERBOARD! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149 XXV. SAFE AND SOUND . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS "DON'T LET IT BUMP ALONGSIDE WHATEVER YOU DO!" _Frontispiece_ _Facing page_ THE SQUAT LITTLE TUG LOOMED UP, HER CREW AUGMENTED BY SIXTEEN WILDLY EXCITED SEA SCOUTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61