ard Hiram say in an exceedingly
friendly tone:

"Enter, good sirs. Master Lord will return within a short time to
conclude the business concerning which you squabbled the other night."

These words were spoken, no doubt, to warn Archie and me that there
could be no question as to the character of those to whom they were
addressed, and I raised the leg of the stool high above my head,
understanding full well that if we failed of overcoming them at the
onset, our race in Boston town had come to a speedy end.

Unfortunately it so chanced that both Archie and I struck at the man who
was in the lead, and the fellow had no more than got well across the
threshold when he pitched headlong, as an ox falls under the axe of the
butcher.

Even as this was done I could see that the second man attempted to leap
backward, a cry of fear escaping his lips, and my heart grew cold, for
it needed not any one should tell me that if he succeeded in giving us
the slip the lobster backs would soon learn what kind of a trick we had
striven to play.

I might have understood, however, that Hiram Griffin stood in readiness
to guard against any such danger, and even as the fear came into my
heart he had leaped upon the shoulders of the fellow who strove to turn
back, the weight of his body sending both himself and his captive into
the room.

A fourth figure leaped nimbly in and aided me in closing the door,
therefore I understood that the game at the Bridewell had been played
without an error, for it could be none other than Silas Brownrigg who
followed Hiram so closely.

There was no time for greetings or rejoicing; but I did delay
sufficiently long to ask in a low tone:

"Were there only two?"

"No more," Silas cried quickly as he leaped to aid Hiram, who was
struggling with the fellow he had thrust into the room, and verily the
Tory was putting up a stout fight.

"Gag him!" Hiram cried even while the two were rolling here and there so
rapidly that it was with difficulty we could, in that faint light,
distinguish friend from foe, and Archie sacrificed a sleeve of his
shirt, rolling it into a wad as he stood ready to thrust it into the
Tory's mouth at the first opportunity.

The fellow whom Archie and I had stricken down was sprawled out on the
floor upon his face, like one dead, and I knew we had nothing to fear
from him for some time to come, even if the life yet remained in his
body, therefore I took a hand in the battle Hiram wa