ro glowered at her, her heart almost
stopped beating. She gazed around, and so did the negro. Not another
person was in sight.

"Come into de room," went on the negro after a painful pause, and he
literally dragged her forward to the door. "If yo' be still, yo'
won't git hurt."

Holding her with one hand, he continued to fill his carpetbag with
the other. Spoons, knives and forks were rapidly stowed away, and
they were followed by some napkin rings and other articles of value.

As the negro worked, Grace recovered some of her self-possession.
She did not dare to cry out, and tried to think of some other method
of arousing the others on the boat. Her eyes fell upon a bell pull
hanging from the wall and, on the sly, she gave it a violent jerk.

The rope connected with a bell in the cook's galley. This was close
to where Aleck was sleeping, and it caused the cook to arouse with
a start.

"Dis chile mus' hab done overslept hisself," he exclaimed, and then,
as the bell rang once more, he sprang up in a hurry. "Sumt'ing wrong,
dat's suah as yo're boahn!"

Throwing himself into some of his clothing, he ran out on deck and
to the dining-room. One glance was enough, and he raised a shout
which aroused everybody on the houseboat.

The shout told the intruder that his game was up, and, carpetbag in
hand, he started to run away. But Aleck put out his foot, and the
other negro went sprawling at full length.

"Yo' stay right dar!" roared Aleck Pop wrathfully. "Don't yo' 'tempt
to git away, nohow, 'less yo' want to go to yo' own funeral."

"Yo' ain't gwine ter stop me!" yelled the thief, and sprang up,
hurling the cook to one side. Then he started for the shore.

By this time Sam was coming out of his state-room. He saw the fleeing
negro and made after him, catching the rascal just as he was about
to leap ashore.

"Not so fast!" he sang out, and caught him by the arm.

"Yo' can't hole me!" stormed the burly fellow, and tried to twist
himself loose. But, before he could break away, Captain Starr was at
hand, quickly followed by Tom and Hans.

"Vot's der madder, vos he a robber?" asked Hans. "Schoot him der
sphot on!"

"Git back, dar, I'se a dangerous coon!" ejaculated the burly negro,
and suddenly produced a big revolver of the old civil war kind. "Don't
dare lay han's on me ag'in!"

At the sight of the pistol, all fell back, and in a twinkling the
negro was over the side and running for the nearest patch of woods.