# The Rover Boys in Southern Waters

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Eleventh volume in the Rover Boys series
THE ROVER BOYS
IN SOUTHERN
WATERS
OR
THE DESERTED STEAM YACHT
BY
ARTHUR M. WINFIELD
(Edward Stratemeyer)
AUTHOR OF THE ROVER BOYS AT SCHOOL, THE ROVER BOYS ON THE OCEAN, THE PUTNAM HALL SERIES, ETC.
ILLUSTRATED
NEW YORK GROSSET & DUNLAP PUBLISHERS Made in the United States of America
ON THE TOP OF THIS AFFAIR STOOD A CAMPSTOOL, AND ON THE STOOL SAT TOM ROVER.
The Rover Boys in Southern Waters
INTRODUCTION
My Dear Boys: "The Rover Boys in Southern Waters" is a complete story in itself but forms the eleventh volume of a line known by the general title of "The Rover Boys Series for Young Americans."
Eleven volumes! Just think of it! What a great number to write about one set of young people and their doings! When I started out, as I have mentioned before, I thought to pen three volumes, possibly four. I was not at all sure that the boys and girls would wish any of them. But no sooner had I given them "The Rover Boys at School" than there was a demand for "The Rover Boys on the Ocean" and then "The Rover Boys in the Jungle," and then, year after year, there followed "The Rover Boys Out West," "On the Great Lakes," "In the Mountains," "On Land and Sea," "In Camp," "On the River," and "On the Plains," where we last met them.
In the present tale the scene is shifted to the lower Mississippi and then the Gulf of Mexico. As before, Sam, Tom, and Dick are introduced, along with a number of their friends, and all have a variety of adventures and not a little fun. ​While on the Gulf the boys discover a deserted steam yacht, board the craft, and try to ascertain who is the owner, and this leads to a mystery which I leave the pages that follow to unfold.
Once again I take the opportunity to thank the thousands of young folks all over our broad land who have signified their appreciation of my efforts to afford them amusement and at the same time teach a moral. Were it possible I should like nothing better than to write to each and shake everyone by the hand. But that is out of the question, so I can simply pen my thanks, and subscribe myself,
Affectionately and sincerely yours,
Edward Stratemeyer.
CONTENTS
| CHAPTER | CHAPTER | PAGE |
| I. | The Rover Boys and Their Friends | 1 |
| II. | About a Missing Houseboat | 8 |
| III. | A Friend in Need | 15 |
| IV. | Harold Bird's Strange Tale | 24 |
| V. | Stuck in the Mud | 32 |
| VI. | Fighting Bob Cats | 41 |
| VII. | The Houseboat in the Bushes | 50 |
| VIII. | In the Swamp | 59 |
| IX. | Two Young Prisoners | 68 |
| X. | The Chase on the River | 76 |
| XI. | What the Rockets Revealed | 85 |
| XII. | Stuck on a Snag | 92 |
| XIII. | The Capture of Solly Jackson | 100 |
| XIV. | On a Gulf Steamer | 109 |
| XV. | The Castaways of the Gulf | 118 |
| XVI. | A Deserted Steam Yacht | 126 |
| XVII. | In Undisputed Possession | 134 |
| XVIII. | In Peril of Steam | 142 |
| XIX. | The Storm on the Gulf | 150 |
| XX. | A Night of Anxiety | 158 ​ |
| XXI. | The Picture in the Cardcase | 166 |
| XXII. | An Unexpected Meeting on the Water | 174 |
| XXIII. | The Enemy Tries to Take Possession | 182 |
| XXIV. | In the Engine Room | 190 |
| XXV. | One Plot and Another | 198 |
| XXVI. | Turning the Tables | 206 |
| XXVII. | Dan Baxter's Repentance | 213 |
| XXVIII. | Hatchway and Door | 220 |
| XXIX. | An Exciting Time All Around | 227 |
| XXX. | Homeward Bound—conclusion | 235 |
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
The longest-living author of this work died in 1930, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 93 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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