uivered Jack.

"Jes' as yo' please, ob co'se, Marse Benson," came the answer, from above.
"But, ef yo' don' put dem t'ings on, yo'll sho'ly hab ter gwine back ter
'Napolis in yo' undahclo's. An' yo's gwine back right away, too, so, ef
yo' wants ter gwine back weahin' ernuff clo'es--"

"Oh, well, then--!" ground out the submarine boy, savagely enough.

He attired himself in these tattered ends of raiment. Had he not been so
angry he must have roared at sight of his comical self when the dressing
was completed.

CHAPTER VIII: A YOUNG CAPTAIN IN TATTERS

"Now, yo'll do, Ah reckons."

With that, the mulatto guide of the night before threw down one end of an
inch rope.

"Ah reckon yo's sailor ernuff to clim' dat. Come right erlong, 'less yo'
wants de dawgs ter jump down dar."

"But they'll tackle me if I come up," objected Jack Benson.

"No, dey won't. Dem dawgs is train' to dis wo'k. Ah done tole yo' dat.
Come right erlong. Ah'll keep my two eyes on dem dawgs."

It looked like a highly risky bit of business, but Jack told himself that,
now he had been deprived of his valuables, this yellow worthy must be
genuinely anxious to be rid of the victim. So he took hold of the rope and
began to climb. The mulatto and the dogs disappeared from the upper edge
of the pit.

As his head came up above the level of the flooring Benson saw the mulatto
and the dogs in the next room, the connecting door of which had been taken
from its hinges.

"Come right in, Marse Benson. Dere ain' nuffin' gwineter hu't yo'," came
the rascal's voice reassuringly. Jack obeyed by stepping into the next
room, though he kept watch over the dogs out of the corners of his eyes.

"Now, yo' lie right down on de flo', Marse Benson," commanded the master
of the situation. "Ah's gotter tie yo' up, befo' Ah can staht yo' back ter
'Napolis, but dere ain' no hahm gwine come ter yo'."

Making a virtue of necessity, Captain Jack lay down as directed, passing
his hands behind his back. These were deftly secured, after which his
ankles were treated in the same fashion. Immediately the mulatto, who was
strong and wiry, lifted the boy and the lantern together. The dogs
remaining behind, Jack was carried out into the yard, where he discovered
that daylight was coming on in the East. He was dumped on the ground long
enough to permit his captor to lock the door securely. Then the submarine
boy was lifted once more, carried around the co