these, Johnny pulled open the door
and sprang out into the passage-way, where he came in violent contact
with somebody. It was the governor, who, impatient at Tom's delay, had
come up to see what was the matter with him.

"Hello, here, cap'n!" he growled. "Haint you got eyes that you can't see
nothing? If you're all ready now, let's be off."

The clerk, recognizing the voice, turned instantly and ran into the
store, banging the door after him. He might have escaped by going out at
the other end of the passage; but his first thought was of his prisoner.
If he left the store, the governor would, of course, go in and release
Tom; and that was something Johnny did not intend he should do. "A bird
in the hand is worth a dozen in the bush," thought he. "It is my
business to look out for Tom, now that I have got him. The other robbers
can be attended to at any time."

Sam Barton was utterly confounded. He stood for a moment gazing stupidly
at the door, and then turned toward his men, who had followed close at
his heels, as if expecting some of them to suggest a way out of this new
trouble.

"What's the row now, governor?" whispered Xury "What's the cap'n gone
back fur?"

"That wasn't the cap'n," replied Sam. "It was Harding; an' I'll bet a
million dollars that he's got Tommy a prisoner in there."

"I just know he has," snarled Will Atkins. "That's the kind of luck
we're havin' to-night. Let's go away an' leave him. We can't do any
thing fur him."

"We can, too," replied the chief, angrily. "Now, Atkins, I don't want to
hear any more out of you about desertin' a comrade in distress, fur I
haint forgot that you are a mutineer. You're always growlin', an' I'm
gettin' teetotally tired of listenin' to it. If you had any sense at
all, you would know that we must get into this store fur two reasons.
We're bound to capture Harding ag'in, fur, if we don't, he'll come out
the minute we are gone, an' raise a yell; an' we'll have the whole town
after us in no time. An' we must get the cap'n out of there, 'cause we
can't get along without him. Is there any body else in the band who
knows enough to take command of the vessel? Do you, Atkins?"

"Of course not. I never was to sea in my life."

"Well, then, what are you grumblin' about? None of us haint been to sea,
except Tommy. He's been miles an' miles out of sight of land; he is the
only one among us who understands the winds an' currents, an' we must
release him, or give up the