s officers. "Take possession of all the muskets
and other weapons you can find, Vincent, and put them in the cutter."

This order was promptly obeyed. Before it was fully carried out an
elderly gentleman crawled out of the cuddy, and stood up in the standing
room; he was a man of dignity, and evidently of importance.

CHAPTER XIX

THE SKIPPER OF THE SLOOP MAGNOLIA

"You were very unwise to order these men to fire upon the boat," said
the dignified gentleman, addressing the man on the forecastle of the
Magnolia; "it was a great mistake, Captain Flanger."

"That's so!" exclaimed Mr. Pennant, feeling of his left arm as he spoke;
for he had been wounded there, though the injury had not for a moment
abated his energy.

"I did not mean to allow the sloop to be captured by a boat load of men
like that," replied Captain Flanger; "and if our men had used their
bayonets we should have been all right. I told them to fix their
bayonets, but they paid no attention to me."

"It was a great mistake," repeated the dignified gentleman, shaking his
head.

Mr. Pennant had time now to look over the craft he had captured, and the
men on board of her. It was simply a large sailboat, and those on board
of her wore plain clothes. They did not appear to be soldiers or
sailors, though there was a number of bayonets scattered about the
standing room. The seamen from the cutter had leaped on board of the
sloop, with cutlasses in their belts; but there was not space enough to
permit the use of the weapon, and they had seized each of the men by the
collar and put a pistol to his head.

"How many men have you on board, Captain Flanger?" demanded the third
lieutenant, still standing up in the boat abreast of the person he
addressed.

"Count them for yourself!" exclaimed Captain Flanger in brutal tones.

"All right: I will count you first," added Mr. Pennant, as he reached
over and seized the leader of the party by the collar with his right
hand.

[Illustration: Colonel Homer Passford Visits the Bronx.--Page 219.]

Flanger attempted to shake off his grasp, but the lieutenant was a very
powerful man, and he dragged him into the boat in the twinkling of an
eye. He tossed him into the bottom of the boat, five of the boat's crew
being still in their seats, trailing their oars, for only seven of them
had been able to get on board of the Magnolia for the want of space.

"Tie his hands behind him," added Mr. Pennant to the men, who