Produced by John Pobuda THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN OR A CHASE FOR A FORTUNE BY Arthur M. Winfield (Edward Stratemeyer) INTRODUCTION My dear Boys: "The Rover Boys on the Ocean" is a complete tale in itself, but forms a companion volume to "The Rover Boys at School," which preceded it. In the former volume I tried to give my young readers a glimpse of life as it actually is in one of our famous military boarding schools, with its brightness and shadows, its trials and triumphs, its little plots and counterplots, its mental and physical contests, and all that goes to make up such an existence; in the present tale I have given a little more of this, and also related the particulars of an ocean trip, which, from a small and unpretentious beginning, developed into something entirely unlooked for an outing calculated to test the nerves of the bravest of American youths. How Dick, Tom, and Sam, and their friends stood it, and how they triumphed over their enemies, I will leave for the story itself to explain. This volume will be followed by another, to be entitled, "The Rover Boys in the jungle," telling of curious adventures in the heart of Africa. As the first volume of the series was so I well received, my one wish is that the present tale may find equal favor at your hands. Affectionately and sincerely yours, EDWARD STRATEMEYER September 20, 1899 THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN CHAPTER I SOMETHING ABOUT THE ROVER BOYS "Luff up a little, Sam, or the _Spray_ will run on the rocks." "All right, Dick. I haven't got sailing down quite as fine as you yet. How far do you suppose we are from Albany?" "Not over eight or nine miles. If this wind holds out we'll make that city by six o'clock. I'll tell you what, sailing on the Hudson suits me first-rate." "And it suits me, too," put in Tom Rover, addressing both of his brothers. "I like it ten times better than staying on Uncle Randolph's farm." "But I can't say that I like it better than life at Putnam Hall," smiled Sam Rover, as he threw over the tiller of the little yacht. "I'm quite anxious to meet Captain Putnam and Fred, Frank, and Larry again." "Oh, so am I," answered Tom Rover. "But an outing on the Hudson is just the best of a vacation. By the way, I wonder if all of our old friends will be back?" "Most of them will be." "And our enemies?" "Dan Baxter won't come back," answered Dick seriously. "He ran away to Chicago with two hundred dollars belonging to his father, and I guess that's the end of him--so far as Putnam Hall and we are concerned. What a bully he was!" "I feel it in my bones, Dick, that we'll meet Dan Baxter again," came from Sam Rover. "Don't you remember that in that note he left when he ran away he said he would take pains to get square with us some day?"