the weapon free in his hands,
picked up his own gun and followed Tony he found the insensible
miscreant, who had received a sufficient smash in the jaw from Tony's
heel.

"We must fly, my dear friend Gus," said Tony, "for now they will
come--those other two!"

"We will stay right here and give them a pleasant reception," said Gus.
"I will watch on the path, Tony. You take this gun. But first get a
rope, quick! Tie that chap's arms behind him and search him for
automatics, or anything."

It was but the work of a few minutes. Malatesta seemed to hesitate about
coming to his senses. This was a good thing for the success of the
subsequent capture; for the elder brother might have called out and
warned his two confederates.

Gus told Tony to guard the far side of the cabin and arranged that
either must come at the call of the other. They must shoot only when
sure.

Back came the younger Malatesta, their better known enemy. From behind a
bush Gus poked his shotgun muzzle into the fellow's ribs, told him to
drop his rifle and stick up his hands. As he did this, he uttered a
frantic yell of warning. Then he, too, was seized and bound.

They waited long and eagerly for the American accomplice. Would he sneak
through the woods and try to surprise them? To guard against this, Gus
left Tony with the two prisoners, thus reversing the conditions under
which he had lately been held. There was no glee, no revengeful spirit
shown by the fine-minded Italian youth, but a keen sense of satisfaction
and determination glowed in his eyes.

Gus scoured the woods, hoping to find the accomplice, who would not
recognize him as an enemy. But the fellow was gone. It was an easy thing
for him to hide there--but not so easy to get away altogether, past the
cordon of police now swarming over the peninsula. But he did get away,
for he was never heard of again.

CHAPTER XXX

MORE MESSAGES

Oysterman Dan's little cottage became the scene of more than a reunion
of old friends and of glad father and son. The news reporters also came,
and, somewhat to his disgust, old Dan had to submit to his "pixture
bein' took," along with the banker, Bill, Gus, Tony, and some of the
insistent police and detectives who are often too eager for notoriety.

The Malatesta brothers, too, were not forgotten. Before they were taken
off to a well deserved imprisonment, they were pictured and thus