ipman could make up his mind
what they were going to do, the stones were flying about him in a
perfect shower. It would have been utter folly to stand longer upon the
bridge in that exposed position, and, without waiting for a second
volley, the officer turned and took to his heels.

"Hurrah for Governor Barton and the Crusoe men," shouted Sam. "You
needn't talk to us about surrenderin', 'cause we ain't them kind of
fellers, as I told you once before to-night. Chuck the bridge into the
gully, Atkins."

If the chief imagined that he had disposed of the attacking party, he
soon discovered his mistake. They were by no means defeated simply
because their commanding officer had been driven from his position on
the bridge. They had come there to capture the pirates, and they knew
that two of them carried revolvers in their pockets. If the knowledge of
that fact was not enough to turn them from their purpose, they were not
likely to be frightened away by such missiles as Sam and his man had
discharged at them. They were sharp enough to know that the bridge was
the key to the enemy's position, and that much depended upon their
ability to prevent Atkins from carrying out the governor's order. Stones
were plenty on their side of the chasm, and there was also nearly half a
bushel of potatoes left of those Sam had used against the mutineers.
They were prompt to follow the example set them by the enemy, and, when
Will Atkins ran forward to throw the bridge into the chasm, the order to
halt, which he disregarded, was enforced by a volley of stones and
potatoes that made the path in the vicinity of the bridge so
uncomfortable that the Crusoe man was glad to retreat.

"Go on," thundered the governor. "That bridge must come down."

"Well, you can throw it down yourself," retorted Atkins "I ain't in no
hurry to be hit by them taters an' rocks."

"Keep away from that bridge," said the midshipman. "Harding, if you and
your three friends will act as artillery-men, we'll charge across and
capture those fellows--the Crusoe men, I mean. Of course we can't arrest
the robbers unless we can take some advantage of them; but we can keep
them in here until we can send word to Mr. Grimes, and I don't think
they will dare use their revolvers on him. If they find that they are
fairly cornered, they won't have the courage to resist an officer of the
law."

"But how can we keep them in?" asked Bill.

"Easy enough. If they attempt to come across t