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CHAPTER 8—COMMUNICATION
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. The Department of Labor has identified which interpersonal communication skill as being necessary
for successful functioning in the workplace?
a. empathy
b. writing
c. serving clients
d. understanding
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 125
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Interpersonal Communication MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
3. The element of the communication model that contains the thoughts and feelings the communicator is
attempting to elicit in the receiver is the:
a. data
b. feedback
c. message
d. information
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 126
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: An Interpersonal Communication Model
MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
4. The window through which we interact with people and that influences the quality, accuracy, and
clarity of the communication is called:
a. a perceptual screen
b. a communication filter
c. an interpretation funnel
d. the communication vacuum
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 125
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: An Interpersonal Communication Model
MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
5. When a supervisor sends a message to his/her employees who comprise a diverse workgroup, both
parties to the message should be sensitive to:
a. perceptual screens
b. only verbal characteristics of the message
c. the informal communication channel
d. non-feedback
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 125
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: An Interpersonal Communication Model
MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
6. A communication medium that is moderate in both information richness and data capacity is:
a. the telephone
b. electronic mail
c. face-to-face discussion
d. formal numeric report
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 126
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: An Interpersonal Communication Model
MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
7. As a supervisor, you decide you need to communicate with several of your employees about below
standard or unsatisfactory work. Which of the following would be the best way to send your message?
a. e-mail
b. posted memo on a bulletin board
c. a telephone call
d. written memo followed by a face-to-face meeting
ANS: D
See also Table 8.1.
9. If one of your employees was in the early stages of expressing thoughts and feelings about a problem,
especially when there may be some associated anxiety or discomfort, it would be most appropriate for
you to:
a. paraphrase the expressed thoughts and feelings
b. clarify implicit thoughts and feelings
c. reflect core feelings
d. make affirming contact
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Hard REF: p. 127
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Reflective Listening MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
10. Providing the time to identify and isolate the listener's personal responses and exclude them from the
dialogue is one of the purposes of:
a. paraphrasing expressed thoughts and feelings
b. clarifying implicit thoughts and feelings
c. reflecting core feelings
d. silence
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 128
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Reflective Listening MSC: BLOOMS Level II Comprehension
13. A software engineer has just discovered a major problem, which is not yet fully defined, in a large
information system she is building for a very difficult customer. Her supervisor is listening to the
engineer as she begins to talk through the problem. Which of the following responses would best
exemplify the “reflecting of core feelings”?
a. “I see”, “Uh-huh”.....”yes, I understand”.
b. “I hear that you are feeling very upset about the problem and may be worried about the
customer’s reaction when you inform him”.
c. Extended periods of silence.
d. “I understand that you are concerned there may be a major problem with the information
system”.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 127-128
OBJ: 1 NAT: AACSB Analytic | Group Dynamics
TOP: Reflective Listening MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
19. The use of new information technologies reduces status differences as a barrier to communication
because:
a. of its impersonal nature
b. it increases polyphasic behavior
c. of the opportunity for immediate feedback
d. it encourages the formation of nonhierarchical working relationships
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 130
OBJ: 3 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Barriers and Gateways to Communication
MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
20. The FAME model of leadership communication is based upon which of the following message
characteristics?
a. frequent, accurate, motivate, excite
b. focus, assertive, motivate, engage
c. frequent, accurate, model, excite
d. focus, articulate, model, engage
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Hard REF: p. 130
OBJ: 3 NAT: AACSB Communication | Leadership Principles
TOP: Communication Skills for Effective Managers (The Fame Method)
MSC: K&C
21. All of the following except _____ can be used by a supervisor to reduce communication barriers.
a. minimizing jargon and technical language
b. encouraging formation of nonhierarchical working relationships
c. providing cross-cultural training
d. encouraging men and women to interact the same way
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 130-131
OBJ: 3 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Barriers and Gateways to Communication
MSC: BLOOMS Level II Comprehension
22. An effective method to reduce or overcome barriers to communication due to gender differences is to:
a. frequently use metaphors
b. attempt to use more technical terms with precise meanings
c. seek clarification meaning
d. use face-to-face communication
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 131
OBJ: 3 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Barriers and Gateways to Communication
MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
23. Which of the following is NOT considered a result or outcome of defensive communication?
a. assertive but accurate message sending
b. increased nonwork time
c. retaliation
d. aggression and abuse
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 132-133
OBJ: 4 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Defensive and Nondefensive Communication
MSC: BLOOMS LEVEL II Comprehension
24. Which of the following is NOT one of the four basic rules Catherine Crier (news anchor for a major
television network) uses to prevent defensive communication?
a. define the situation
b. clarify the person's position
c. acknowledge the person's feelings
d. bring the focus back to the person
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 132
OBJ: 4 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Defensive and Nondefensive Communication
MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
26. You witness an incident at work where a supervisor loudly criticizes an employee in front of several
other employees. Later, you learn that the employee didn't make any mistake. The supervisor's
communication is an example of:
a. nondefensive communication
b. a territorial space violation
c. paralanguage
d. dominant defensiveness
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 133
OBJ: 4 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Defensive Communication at Work
MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
28. A manager comments to her secretary, "How come Nancy (a word processor) is always hard to find
when there is a deadline? She is a loafer." This is an example of:
a. deception
b. regression
c. misleading information
d. labeling
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 133
OBJ: 4 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Defensive Communication at Work
MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
29. A defensive tactic where an individual attempts to manipulate and control others is:
a. a put-down
b. a power play
c. labeling
d. raising doubts
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 133
OBJ: 4 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Defensive Communication at Work
MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
30. Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of nondefensive communication and behavior?
a. informative
b. realistic
c. controlled
d. evasive
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 134
OBJ: 4 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Nondefensive Communication MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
32. As much as 65 to 90 percent of the substance or content of a message sent in person can be through:
a. nonverbal communication
b. written forms of communication
c. tone of voice
d. numeric examples
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Hard REF: p. 134
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Nonverbal Communication MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
33. What percent of the meaning in a message can be conveyed by nonverbal communication?
a. 10 to 20
b. 25 to 40
c. 45 to 70
d. 65 to 90
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 134
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Nonverbal Communication MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
34. Nonverbal communication can be utilized in which of the following communication situations?
a. committee meeting
b. e-mail
c. voice mail
d. telephone call
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 134
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Nonverbal Communication MSC: BLOOMS Level IV Analysis
36. Persons from many other countries prefer to interact (in face-to-face situations) at a/an _____ distance.
a. intimate
b. public
c. personal
d. extended (beyond 20 feet)
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 135
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Proxemics MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
37. Americans generally do not like to communicate with one another within their:
a. social distance
b. personal distance
c. intimate distance
d. public distance
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 135
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Proxemics MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
38. The study of an individual's perception and use of space, including territorial space, is called:
a. proxemics
b. kinesics
c. spatial differentiation
d. paralanguage
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 134-135
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Proxemics MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
39. Seating arrangements and dynamics can be examined in a/an _____ study.
a. paralanguage
b. proxemics
c. kinesics
d. attitude
ANS: B
See also Figure 8.3.
40. You are chairing quality circle meetings with your employees and want to maximize opportunities for
all to speak and contribute. The seating arrangement and table shape to accomplish this should be:
a. square
b. round
c. oblong
d. rectangular
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 135
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Analytic | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Proxemics MSC: BLOOMS Level III Application
41. To facilitate direct and open communication, which of the following seating arrangements would be
most appropriate?
a. seat the other party beside you, facing the same direction
b. seat the other party across a corner of your desk from you or in a place where you will be a
right angles
c. seat the other person directly across from you
d. seat the person inside your social distance zone
ANS: B
See also Figure 8.3.
42. In nonverbal communication, the study of body movements, including posture, is known as:
a. kinesics
b. proxemics
c. paralanguage
d. posturics
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 136
OBJ: 5 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Kinesics MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
46. Which form of communication has high to moderate data capacity and moderate to low information
richness?
a. written communication
b. face-to-face communication
c. telephone communication
d. voice mail
ANS: A
See also Table 8.1.
47. Which of the following statements about communication technologies is not true?
a. Computer-mediated communication is impersonal in nature.
b. Communication technologies equalize participation.
c. Communication technologies encourage polyphasic activity.
d. Significant disparities in participation levels of persons within the group.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Hard REF: p. 138-140
OBJ: 7
NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Technology | Information Technologies | Individual
Dynamics TOP: How Do Communication Technologies Affect Behavior?
MSC: BLOOMS Level II Comprehension
48. Many of the communications technologies significantly limit or eliminate _____ forms of
communication.
a. written
b. nondefensive
c. dominant
d. nonverbal
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: Moderate REF: p. 138
OBJ: 7 NAT: AACSB Communication | AACSB Technology | Individual Dynamics
TOP: How Do Communication Technologies Affect Behavior?
MSC: BLOOMS Level II Comprehension
TRUE/FALSE
ANS: F
Evoking a shared or common meaning in another person is called communication.
ANS: F
Interpersonal communication IS central to health and well-being, both at home and on the job. As
discussed in Chapter 7, interpersonal communication is the key to unlocking social support for
preventative stress management. It is also important in building and sustaining human relationships at
work.
3. An important method for determining if a message has been received and understood is to solicit and
examine feedback.
4. A communication medium low in richness might be good for sending numeric or factual data.
ANS: T
See Table 8.1.
5. A good reflective listener does not lead the speaker according to the listener's own thoughts and
feelings.
ANS: F
One-way communication is faster and more efficient, especially when time is of the essence, as is
usually the case in an emergent situation.
7. A memo from the company president to all employees is an example of one-way communication.
8. It is difficult to draw general conclusions about people's satisfaction with one-way versus two-way
communication.
9. Status differences can influence the content and manner in which a message is sent from a subordinate
to someone higher in the organization.
10. Barriers to communication may be temporary and easily resolved or long-lasting and deeply rooted.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 130
OBJ: 3 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Barriers and Gateways to Communication
MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
11. Communication styles and channels are very similar for men and women.
ANS: F
Communication styles and channels are very different for men and women. Women prefer to converse
face to face, whereas men are more comfortable sitting side by side concentrating on a focal point in
front of them.
12. When people from one culture view those in another culture through the lens of a stereotype, they are
in effect discounting the individual differences within the other culture.
ANS: T
See Box Dealing with Defensive People
15. A person’s interpretation of nonverbal communication is specific to the context of the interaction and
the actors.
16. The absence of heartfelt communication in human relationships leads to loneliness and social isolation
and is known as communicative disease.
ANS: T PTS: 1 DIF: Easy REF: p. 136
OBJ: 6 NAT: AACSB Communication | Individual Dynamics
TOP: Positive | Healthy Communication MSC: BLOOMS Level I Knowledge
17. The balance between head and heart is achieved when a person displays positive emotional
competence and is able to have a healthy internal conversation between his or her thoughts and
feelings.
18. The use of new technologies encourages doing more than one thing at a time.
19. New communication technologies may make people less patient with face-to-face communication.
MATCHING
ESSAY
1. Identify the elements of the communication model and provide an example of each.
ANS:
The basic elements are sender, receiver, message, feedback, and perceptual screening. The sender
formulates a message and transmits it through a channel to a receiver. The channel can be a telephone,
letter, memo, or electronic mail. The message may consist of data, information, thoughts, and even the
feelings/emotions of the sender. The receiver may give feedback or return a message to the sender.
Feedback enhances clarity and understanding but takes time. Perceptual screening refers to the sender's
and receiver's views of the world that may influence message understanding. As an example of the
model, a supervisor can convey a message (through face-to-face interaction) to an employee, who may
raise questions about the message in an effort to understand it. These questions are a form of feedback.
ANS:
The student can be a better listener by providing feedback to the instructor that indicates understanding
of the material being covered. This feedback can be in the form of affirmation, paraphrasing, questions
of clarification, even nonverbal responses such as head nodding and eye contact.
ANS:
There are at least three communication barriers in the college classroom. One is the status differences
between student and professor. Students may be reluctant to speak in class or ask questions. A second
barrier is jargon and technical language. Many courses have unique terms, symbols, and other
technical characteristics that may inhibit effective classroom communication until students understand
some of the technical language. A third barrier is physical distance, especially in a large classroom or
lecture hall. Students may not be able to hear or adequately see the professor, thereby inhibiting the
communication process.
4. As an applicant in a job interview, what nonverbal communication should you use and what should
you avoid?
ANS:
Eye contact can be very positive as nonverbal communication in a job interview. Correct posture,
appropriate dress, head nodding, and a firm handshake are also important nonverbal communication.
Failure to make and maintain eye contact, poor posture, and inappropriate clothing should be avoided.
Some note taking can be helpful as nonverbal communication, but too much note taking could be
distracting and convey the impression that the interviewee has not prepared for the interview.
ANS:
The new communication technologies provide faster, more immediate access to information than was
available in the past. Computer-mediated communication is more impersonal in nature and the
nonverbal cues we rely on to decipher a message are also absent. In addition, clues to power position
may not be available so the social context of the exchange is altered. Communication through
technological means has had a tendency to equalize participation. The potential for overload is also
much greater. Polyphasic activity (doing more than one thing at a time) is also encouraged with new
technology. Finally, the new technologies may make people less patient with face-to-face
communication.
M r. Waddie fired three shots from his revolver, and then turned
to look at me; and he looked ugly.
My father’s house was near the spot. I had been planting peas in
the garden all the morning, and I had observed that the young
gentleman was unusually steadfast in his occupations. He had
raised his kite, and kept it up for half an hour. Then he had fastened
the string to the target, and “run it down.” Occasionally I glanced at
him to see what he was about. After he had brought the kite down, I
saw him bringing it up to the target. Then he went on board of the
canal boat at the pier. The honest skipper had locked up the cabin,
and gone with his family to visit his relations at Ruoara, eight miles
below Centreport.
Mr. Waddie appeared to be making himself at home on board. He
went down into the hold, and remained there a considerable time.
After the savage threats I had heard him make the day before, it
would not have surprised me to see the flames rising from the
honest skipper’s craft; but nothing of this kind had yet occurred,
though I was fully satisfied that the scion was plotting mischief. After
he had been on board half an hour, he returned to the target and
popped away a while at it, though, as I have before observed, he did
not seem to take any particular interest in the amusement.
On this day the flour mills were not at work, having suspended
operations to put in a new boiler. After everything was ready for it the
boiler did not arrive, and all hands were obliged to take a vacation, to
await its coming. The mill was, therefore, deserted, and my father
had a little time to attend to his own affairs. He was going down to
Ucayga, at the foot of the lake, upon business, which I shall have
occasion to explain by and by. He had gone up to the town, and as
he had given me permission to go with him, I was to meet him at the
steamboat landing. I was on my way to this point when I paused to
observe Mr. Waddie’s shooting.
A revolver is a very pretty toy for a boy of fifteen. My father would
as soon have thought of giving me a live rattlesnake for a pet, as a
pistol for a plaything. At the same time, I understood and appreciated
the instrument, and should have been proud and happy as the
possessor of it. Mr. Waddie, in one of his gracious moments, had
permitted me to fire this pistol, and I flattered myself that I could
handle it much better than he. He never did anything well, and
therefore he did not shoot well. As I stood there, at a respectful
distance, admiring the splendid weapon, I envied him the fun which
might be got out of it, though I was very sure he did not make the
most of it.
He suspended his operations, and looked at me. I hoped he was
going to give me an invitation to shoot; and I felt that, if he did, I
could soon spoil the enigmatical eye that glared at the shooter from
the target.
“What do you want, Wolf?” said he.
Perhaps it is not necessary for me to explain that I was not
actually a wolf; but it is necessary for me to say that this savage
appellation was the name by which I was usually known and called
in Centreport. My father’s name was Ralph Penniman, and at the
time I was born he lived on the banks of the Hudson. He had taken
such a strong fancy for some of the creations of Washington Irving,
that he insisted, in spite of an earnest protest on the part of my
mother, upon calling me Wolfert, after one of the distinguished
author’s well-known characters, who obtained a great deal of money
where he least expected to find it. In vain my mother pleaded that
the only possible nickname—in a land where nicknames were as
inevitable as the baby’s teeth—would be Wolf. My father continued
to insist, having no particular objection to the odious name. I was
called Wolfert, and I shall be Wolf as long as I live,—perhaps after I
die, if the width of my tomb-stone compels the lapidary to abbreviate
my name.
“What do you want, Wolf?” asked Mr. Waddie in a surly tone,
which led me to think that I was an intruder.
“Nothing,” I replied; and knowing how easy it was to get up a
quarrel with the scion, I began to move on.
“Come here; I want you,” added Mr. Waddie, in a tone which
seemed to leave no alternative but obedience.
“I can’t. I have to go to the steamboat wharf,” I ventured to
suggest.
“Oh, come here—will you? I won’t keep you but a minute.”
Mr. Waddie was almost invariably imperious; but now he used a
coaxing tone, which I could not resist. I could not help seeing that
there was something about him which was strange and unnatural—a
forced expression and manner, that it bothered me to explain. If the
young gentleman was engaged in any mischief, he was sufficiently
accustomed to it to do without any of the embarrassment which
distinguished his present demeanor. But I could not see anything
wrong, and he did not appear to be engaged in any conspiracy
against the canal boat, or the honest skipper in command of it.
Appearances, however, are often delusive, and they could hardly be
otherwise when Mr. Waddie attempted to look amiable and
conciliatory.
“You are a good fellow, Wolf,” he added.
I knew that before, and the intelligence was no news to me; yet
the condescension of the scion was marvellous in the extreme, and I
wondered what was going to happen, quite sure that something
extraordinary was about to transpire.
“What do you want of me, Waddie?” I asked, curiously.
“I’m going up to the steamboat wharf, and I want you to help me
wind up my kite-line,” he added, bustling about as though he meant
what he said.
“How came your kite-line over there when your kite is up here?”
“Oh, I untied it, and brought it up here so as not to tear the kite—
that’s all. Take hold of the string and pull it in.”
I picked up the line. As I did so, Mr. Waddie gave a kind of a start,
and held his elbow up at the side of his head. But I did not pull on the
line, for, to tell the honest truth, I was afraid he was up to some trick.
“Why don’t you haul it in, you fool?” demanded Waddie, with
more excitement than the occasion seemed to require.
“I can’t stop to wind it up, Waddie; I’m in a hurry. My father is
waiting for me up at the wharf.”
“It won’t take but a couple of minutes; pull in, and I’ll give you
three shots with this revolver,” he added.
“I can’t stay to fire the shots now.”
“Yes, you can! Come, pull in, and don’t be all day about it,”
continued he, impatiently.
I was almost sure he was up to some trick; he was earnest and
excited. The longer I stayed, the worse it would be for me, and I
dropped the string.
“Pick it up again!” shouted Waddie; and at the same moment he
fired off the pistol.
I did pick it up; for though the pistol ball did not come very near
me, I heard it whistle through the air, and as I had never been under
fire, I am willing to confess that it frightened me. I do not think
Waddie meant to hit me when he fired, but this consciousness made
me all the more fearful for my own safety.
“Now, pull in, you ninny! If you don’t mind when your betters
speak to you, I’ll put one of these bullets into you.”
“Do you mean to kill me, Waddie?” I asked.
“No, not if you mind what I say to you.”
“But I tell you my father is waiting for me at the steamboat wharf.”
“No matter if he is; he’s paid for waiting when I want you. Why
don’t you pull in?”
I don’t know exactly why I did not pull in. He threatened to shoot
me, on the one hand, if I didn’t pull in, and I felt as though something
would happen, on the other hand, if I did pull in. It was not
improbable to me, just then, that the young scion had planted a
torpedo in the ground, which was to be touched off by pulling the
string, and which was to send me flying up into the air. I would have
given something handsome, at that moment, for ten rods of space
between me and the imperative young scion at my side.
“Why don’t you pull?” yelled he, out of patience with me at last.
Springing forward, he grasped the string which I then held in my
hand, and gave it a smart jerk, at the same time pointing the revolver
at my head, as if to prevent my sudden departure. The pulling of the
kite-string more than realized my expectations. The very earth was
shaken beneath me, and the lake trembled under the shock that
followed. High in air, from the pier, a dozen rods distant, rose, in ten
thousand fragments, the canal boat of the honest skipper. By some
trickery, which I could not understand, the gaily-painted craft had
been blown up by the pulling of that kite-string.
I could not see through it; in fact, I was so utterly confounded by
the noise, smoke, and dust of the explosion, that I did not try to see
through it. I was amazed and confused, bewildered and paralyzed.
The fragments of the boat had been scattered in a shower upon us,
but none of them were large enough to do us any serious injury.
My first thought was a sentiment of admiration at the diabolical
ingenuity of Mr. Waddie. It was clear enough now that this was the
revenge of the young gentleman upon the skipper for the
punishment he had inflicted upon him. By some contrivance, not yet
explained, the young reprobate had ignited a quantity of powder,
placed in the hold of the boat, with the kite-line. The honest skipper
seemed to be the victim now.
“Now see what you have done!” exclaimed Mr. Waddie, when he,
as well as I, had in some measure recovered from the shock.
“I didn’t do it,” I replied, indignantly.
“Yes, you did, you fool! Didn’t you pull the string?”
“Not much! You pulled it yourself,” I protested.
“At any rate, we are both of us in a very sweet scrape.”
“I’m not in it; I didn’t know anything about it, and I’m not going to
stay here any longer,” I retorted, moving off.
“Stop, Wolf!”
He pointed the pistol at me again. I had had about enough of this
sort of thing, and I walked back to him.
“Now, Wolf, if you want to”—
I did not wait for him to say any more. Choosing my time, I
sprang upon him, wrested the pistol from his grasp, threw him over
backwards, and made good my retreat to a grove near the spot, just
as the people were hurrying down to ascertain the cause of the
explosion.
THE EXPLOSION.—Page 30.
CHAPTER III.
WOLF’S FATHER.