d his face in the pillows.

A shock of red hair above a very white face appeared at the head of the
companionway. "Is--is it all over?" gasped a small voice.

"Yes, Jimmie, right now it is. And you'll notice that we're still
sticking to the saddle, son, and not pulling leather either," observed
the plainsman cheerfully.

"I--I didn't know it would be like this," murmured the boy. "I
thought----" His voice tailed out and he dropped limply into a seat, his
fascinated eyes fixed on my bleeding arm.

Yeager clasped a hand on the boy's shoulder.

"Brace up, kid. The first round is ours, strong. We've had to hustle,
but I reckon we've given them a hectic time of it. They'll not bother us
for quite some hours. Captain Bothwell is busy explaining to a real sore
outfit just why his plans miscarried."

"Is Mr. Sedgwick--killed?" asked the boy, swallowing hard.

I laughed faintly.

"He's worth a dozen dead men yet, Jimmie."

And to prove it I fell back among the pillows, unconscious.

CHAPTER XV

THE MORNING AFTER

My opening eyes fell upon Evelyn. She was putting the last touches to
the bandage on my arm, which was already dressed and bound. Evidently I
had been unconscious some time.

"It's all right. We won," were my first words to her.

"I know," she answered with a faint glow of color. "Thanks to the brave
men who risked their lives for us!"

"Poor Williams was killed, and Morgan was hurt. Has his wound been
looked to?"

"On the job now," sang out Yeager. "When I get through with him he'll be
as good as new. Eh, Morgan?"

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," returned that impassive individual.

"Where's Sam?" I asked.

"Back at the wheel."

"Alone?"

"Alderson is with him. Don't worry about them. You couldn't dynamite
that bunch of pirates on deck just now. There'll be nothing doing until
they get Dutch courage from the bottle. We jolted them a heap harder
than they did us," Tom rejoined lightly.

It was all very well for him to keep up his cheerful talk to raise the
spirits of our friends, but I did not forget the fact that since the
beginning of hostilities we had lost as many men as they had in killed,
and only one less in wounded. To be sure, with the exception of Dugan,
their disabled were in worse condition than ours. Morgan had only a
scratch, and a day or two of rest would set me right.

"Time is fighting for us too, you bet," continued Tom briskly. "We're a
unit, and I'll bet they're pul