It was late when the boys packed up. Sam had six fish, Tom as many more, and all of the others a fair catch. "We'll have fish tomorrow for breakfast, sure," said Larry. "Hurry up, or we'll be late." The party started off, but had only gone a short distance when Sam remembered that he had left his knife sticking in the stump of a tree, and ran back to get it, in the meantime turning his fish over to Tom. The fishing place was behind a grove of trees, and when Sam reached it again he was much surprised to see Dan Baxter on shore, he having just left the yacht, which was cruising some distance away. "Hullo! so you came back to have it out with me, eh?" cried Baxter, and before Sam could say a word, he was hurled flat and the bully came down on top of him. Sam fought bravely, but was no match for the big fellow, who began to hammer him unmercifully. Realizing how matters were turning, the youngest Rover began to cry for help. "You shut up!" stormed Dan Baxter. "Shut up, or I'll give it to you worse than ever!" But Sam had no intention of taking such a drubbing quietly, and he yelled louder than ever. His cries reached Tom, who had dropped behind to allow his brother to catch up. "Something is wrong," he muttered, and hanging the fish on a bush, he ran back at the top of his speed. Dan Baxter heard him coming and tried to get away, but as Tom called out, Sam's courage rose, and he grabbed the bully by the foot and held him. "Let go!" roared Dan Baxter, but Sam would not, and in a second more Tom was at hand and hit the bully such a stinging blow in the face that Baxter went down in a heap. A rough-and-tumble scrimmage ensued, and it must be said that the bully got by far the worst of it. Tom hit him again and again, and Sam also, and when at last he staggered to his feet, one eye was almost closed and his nose was bleeding profusely. "Now I guess you won't tackle any of us again," said Tom. "I'll get even--mark my words!" roared Baxter, and ran down the lake shore in the direction the _Falcon_ had taken. When Baxter reached the yacht he was so weak he could scarcely stand. It was a long while before he could stop his nose from bleeding, and his eye stung with a pain that was maddening. "Did little Sam Rover do that?" asked Mumps, while Josiah Crabtree looked on in curious silence. "Sam Rover?" snorted Baxter. "Not much! Why, the whole crowd piled on me six or seven of them at a time. They tried to kill me!" "Didn't you defend yourself, Daniel?" asked Crabtree. "Of course I did. I knocked two of them down and another fellow had two of his teeth broken. But I couldn't fight all six single handed." "Oh, I presume not--especially such brutes as Captain Putnam is now raising." "It's a pity we can't get square with them," said Mumps. "Oh, I'll get square! You just wait," answered the bully cunningly. "I'm not done with them yet by any means." "What will you do?" "Just you wait and see."