my room. He seemed to
be considerably excited; but I was sure he would not be where he was if
any accident had happened to either steamer.

"Sorry to disturb you, Captain Alick, but this has been a very exciting
time; and while we were all so busy, your two prisoners have taken to
themselves legs or wings, and cleared out," said he, with a lugubrious
gaze at me, as I sat upon the bed.

"Cleared out!" I exclaimed. "Where have they gone?"

"That's what bothers me. I kept my eye on them for a good while, but
they behaved so well that I soon forgot all about them as we became so
absorbed in the fate of the Sylvania," replied the captain, blankly. "I
know I ought to have kept an eye on them to the end, and I am to blame.
But it wasn't quite human to mind much about those rascals when we
expected every minute to see your steamer fall back and be swamped. I
had both boats ready to drop into the water."

"Gone, have they?" I repeated. "Haven't you any idea where they went?
Your steamer was not near the levee, and they would not have gone
ashore there, if it had been."

"I can only guess where they went. Not long before you got out of that
hole, a large passenger steamer came alongside, and held on at our
bowsprit-bitts awhile. She kept her wheels working all the time, while
I was telling the captain what had happened. I am inclined to think
that Cornwood and Boomsby stepped on board of her before she left. I
found just now that their baggage was gone; and they could easily have
got it out of the fore-cabin while I was talking to the captain. I am
sorry for it, and if it hadn't been for that break, and your running
into that hole, it would not have happened."

"How far ahead of us is that steamer?" I asked.

"She must be all of two hours ahead," replied Captain Blastblow.

"I am sorry we have lost them, but it can't be helped," I added, as I
led the way out into the pilot-house where the passengers were
assembled. I told my father of the escape of the robbers, and asked him
if the money was still safe, meaning the four thousand dollars.

"It must be, for it was in my trunk in the Sylvania all the time you
were inside of the levee," replied he. "But I will make sure of it." He
went down into the after cabin, and returned with the intelligence that
it was where he had put it. This was some relief; and we dropped the
matter because we could not do anything about the escape of the
rascals. I felt rather cheap about the mat