om below. It was uttered by Jed, who, since the
departure of the Crusoe band, had not ceased to call lustily for help.
He had little hope, however, of bringing any one to his relief, for the
roar of the breakers, although it would not have drowned the report of a
cannon, as Sam Barton had declared, was still loud enough to render his
being heard extremely doubtful. Johnny listened, and presently the shout
was repeated. "There's certainly somebody down there," said he to
himself, "and he seems to be in distress, too. Who knows but it may be
one of the Crusoe men? If it is, he is just the fellow I am looking
for."

As Johnny said this he walked along the cliff as near the edge as he
dared to go, in the hope of finding some way to descend into the cove;
but he did not long continue his search, for, as he was passing a
thicket of bushes, a man suddenly sprang up and seized him by the
collar.

"We've got you now, you young villain," said he, savagely, "and we'll
take care to hold fast to you."

The first thought that passed through Johnny's mind was, that he had
again fallen into the hands of the burglars; the second, that they could
not manage him as easily as they had done before. He would fight as long
as he was able to raise a finger. But the clerk did not have time to act
on this resolution, for his assailant threw him down with as much ease
as he had prostrated Tom Newcombe in the store, and caught him by the
throat, and, at the same instant, a second man appeared, who quickly
confined his hands behind his back, and gagged him by forcing a
handkerchief into his mouth. His captors handled him very roughly, and
Johnny would have yelled with pain, but the gag and the strong grasp on
his throat rendered it impossible for him to utter a sound.

Having satisfied themselves that their prisoner was securely tied, the
men jerked him to his feet, and then Johnny got his first good look at
them, and was astonished to discover that they were not the burglars.
They were two young farmers, whom he had often seen in the village--the
same who had captured Tom Newcombe a few hours before. They were
searching for Jed, and when they saw Johnny prowling about the cove,
they hastened to secure him, believing him to be one of the Crusoe men.
The clerk knew there was a mistake somewhere, but the gag effectually
prevented him from explaining matters. If he tried to free his hands, in
order to remove the gag, the farmers would think he was