Mr. Thorndyke is.

"I have but little hope that he will be found alive; no doubt he has
been stabbed and his body carried off so that they can search his
clothes at their leisure. We came in a strong party to prevent the risk
of an attack upon Mr. Thorndyke. Here is my card. It is of no use our
attempting to search by ourselves, but if you will get these fellows
taken to the watch house, and will call at the hotel, we will join your
party and help you to search the places you think he has most likely
been taken to."

"I think, sir, you had better come with me to the watch house, and see
the Lieutenant, and tell him what has happened."

"I will just take my friends to the hotel, and shall be back from there
before you have got men to take these fellows away. If you go to one of
those ships and borrow a bucket, empty it over each of them; you will
find that will bring them to!"

As soon as they arrived at the hotel Dick ordered a private sitting room
and five bedrooms.

"We have made a terrible mess of this, lads," he said gloomily. "I don't
say that it is any of our faults, but it is a horrible affair. I have
not the least doubt that Mr. Thorndyke has been killed, and it is no
satisfaction to us that we have pretty nearly done for a dozen of those
scoundrels."

"I would not have had it happen for a hundred pounds, nor a thousand,
sir. If there had been daylight we could have licked a score of them in
spite of their bludgeons, but they came with such a rush at us that we
got separated before we knew where we were. I don't think that it was
our fault. I feel as much ashamed as if I had thrown up the sponge in
the ring at the end of the first round. To think that we came over here,
four of us, and yourself, sir, on purpose to take care of Mr. Thorndyke,
all well save a few knocks with those sticks, and Mr. Thorndyke killed
and carried off before we have been on shore five minutes. A better
young fellow I never put on the gloves with;" and Gibbons passed the
back of his hand across his eyes.

"Well, I must be off now," Chetwynd said. "I feel heartbroken over it.
I have known him since we were boys together; and what makes it worse
is that only three days ago he became engaged to be married. How we are
going to take the news back God only knows!"

As he hurried down the street towards the wharf he saw a number of
lanterns coming towards him, and ten or twelve watchmen came along
escorting the prisoners, many of who