rn, and before
the hapless Viking could leave his seat or lift a finger to save
himself, his boat was hauled alongside of the _Laulie_, and he was
captured.

"Fairly caught!" cried Bill, leaning over to thump him on the back,
while Tom clutched the _Osprey_ with both hands, determined that she
should not escape.

Then Yaspard struck his colours, and remarked, "You need not be so
particular with your grappling-irons, Holtum; I yield myself to the
fortune of fair fight."

"Come aboard us," said Harry. "You did awfully well, and needn't mind
that Tom's dodge was more successful than yours. It was a low kind of
trick on the whole, but we were determined to make you our prisoner."

By that time Yaspard was in the _Laulie_, and his boat towing ignobly
in the rear. Thor, puzzled out of his dignity by such extraordinary
proceedings, afraid to trust himself with his master in the enemies'
hands, and too tired to seek refuge in flight, then gave vent to his
feelings in speech--

"Uncle, uncle. Croak! bad boy! croak! croak! croak! Yap! yap! yap!
Pirate; hi, good dog! Dog! Uncle! oh my!"

He had never spoken so much at one time before, but the situation
called for a supreme effort.

When he concluded his oration, amid yells of laughter, Thor turned up
his eyes till nothing but a streak of white was visible, and shoved his
beak among the feathers on one shoulder as if he meant to go to sleep.

"What a fellow, to be sure!" exclaimed Tom. "He licks Crawbie all to
nothing."

Harry explained to Yaspard that Crawbie was a hoodie crow belonging to
Svein Holtum, and a great talker, but nothing like Thor in that respect.

Harry was soon on his hobby, and would have discoursed on birds for an
hour if Bill had not stopped him by asking, "Well, boys, what's the
next move?"

"Home, of course," said Harry; "at least, to Collaster first, for the
Viking is Tom's prize, and must be taken to the Doctor's house."

"I should like that hugely," said the captive; "but may I beg you to
remember my anxious and sorrowing relations, who will strain dim eyes
in vain and all the rest of that sort of thing. They'll be horribly
frightened at Moolapund if I am not back there tonight, and it's late
now."

A long discussion followed as to how the Boden folk were to be informed
of the Viking's position. One suggestion was that a Manse boy was to
return to Boden in the _Osprey_, tell the tale, and bring Gloy away;
but that plan was reject