to the bay
after re-enforcements, their game was up. They waited impatiently for
Jackson to make up his mind what he would do. When they saw the
jolly-boat coming toward the bushes, they hastily retreated to the
cabin; and, just at the moment when the second lieutenant was
congratulating himself on his success, they sprang up and compelled his
surrender.

"We are all right now," said Sanders, in a tone of satisfaction. "Keep
perfectly quiet, and no harm shall be done you."

As the burglar spoke he handed his revolver to his companion, pulled
some pieces of rope from his pocket, and before the students had fairly
recovered from their bewilderment, they were powerless to resist, even
if they had been foolish enough to think of it. The robbers lifted them
in their arms, carried them down the ladder into the cabin, thence into
the hold, and laid them in a row as if they had been logs of wood.

"We shall leave you here," said Sanders, "while we go ashore and hunt up
the Crusoe men. You didn't see them while you were coming up the creek,
did you?"

Jackson replied sullenly in the negative.

"Well, they are around somewhere, hidden away in the bushes. They stole
our money."

The second lieutenant, who was quite as much interested in the recovery
of the seven thousand dollars as was Johnny Harding, suddenly became
very talkative, and wanted to know all about it; but the robber only
told him that Sam and his men had, by some means, obtained possession of
the valise while he was asleep; that he knew they were not far off, and
that he would have the money in his hands again by that time the next
morning, and be miles from there. "I never, in my life, was guilty of so
stupid a piece of business before," said Sanders, in disgust. "The idea
of two grown men depending upon a lot of little boys to take them to a
place of safety! We ought to lose the money, and be caught besides."

"That's just my opinion," replied Jackson, heartily. "If you don't look
out some 'little boys' will get the better of you yet."

The robber answered that he would risk that, and after closing and
locking the door of the hold, he went ashore in the jolly-boat with his
companion, to begin the pursuit of the governor and his band.

Meanwhile Johnny Harding was dashing frantically through the bushes, as
uneasy as a fish out of water, and perspiring like a butcher. He had a
vague idea that he was looking for the Crusoe men and their allies, and
that if