r off and the men were put down
without great trouble. Then the hatch was closed and fastened.

"Now, Dan, you are the only enemy we have who is at liberty," said
Dick, turning to the big youth. "I want to know exactly what you
propose to do."

"What I do will depend a good deal on what you do," was the somewhat
low answer. "I know I am in your power. But I'd like you to remember
one thing--about how I warned you not to drink the drugged water and
how I brought you some good water."

"I am not going to forget that."

"That's a point to your credit, Dan," said Sam.

"If it hadn't been for that I--er--I don't know where you'd be now.
As I said before, I've been pretty bad--but not quite as bad as that."

"Do you think we ought to let you go for what you did for us?" asked
Tom, who never wanted to beat about the bush.

"I don't know as you ought to do that--but I'd like you to do it.
I'd like to have the chance to go away--far away--and strike out
fresh. My father wants me to do it--he's written me three letters
about it. He wants me to go to the Hawaiian Islands, or the Philippines,
or to Australia. He says--but I don't suppose you are interested in
what he writes."

"I am," answered Dick, promptly.

"He spoke of what you did for him and he says I--well, I ought to be
ashamed to keep up the old enmity after what happened--after you
saved his life. I--er--I guess he's right--and I am sick of it all."

"Well, I hope you stay sick of it--I mean sick of doing wrong," said Sam.

"Maybe I will--I don't know and I am not going to promise. But I am
sick enough of being here, among such rough men as Sack Todd and
Gasper Pold and that crowd of counterfeiters that was captured. I
haven't had any real comfort for months."

"I don't believe a criminal ever feels real comfortable," said Tom.
"How can he, when he knows the officers of the law are constantly
after him?"

"There is something in that. When I go to bed I generally dream of
being caught and dragged to prison. And those men always wanted me
to drink, and I don't care much for liquor."

"Then cut it out--cut it out by all means," said Dick. "You can't do
better."

"And there is another thing," went on Dan Baxter. "I don't feel
well--everything I eat lately goes against me, and sometimes I'm in
a regular fever. I ought to rest somewhere, I suppose, and have a
good doctor attend me. But I can't do anything to make me feel better
chasing around like this."