remembered his discovery of his own firearms on the shanty-boat, and
fear assailed him. He remembered his folly in crying out that those were
his guns. He might have known he had fallen among thieves. He cursed
himself, and dread of what might yet follow his indiscretion made him
whimper with terror. A most disgusting odour of whiskey was in his
nostrils, and his throat was like a corrugated iron pipe partly filled
with soot.

The door of the tiny stateroom was closed, but the two ports were open
to let the air in. It occurred to him that he might be a captive, and
would be held for ransom. Perhaps the pirates would bleed him for
$50,000; perhaps they would take all his fortune! He began to cry and
sob. They might cut his throat, and not give him any chance of escape.
He had heard of men having had their throats cut down the river.

He tried to sit up again, and succeeded without undue faintness. He
could not wait, but must know his fate immediately. He found the door
was unlocked, and when he slipped out into the cabin, he found that
there was only one man on board, the steersman, who was sitting in the
engine pit, and steering with the rail wheel instead of the bow-cabin
one.

He peered out, and found that it was Terabon, who discovered him and
hailed him, cheerily:

"How are you feeling?"

"Tough--my head!"

"You're lucky to be alive!" Terabon said. "You got in with a crew of
river pirates, but they let me have you. Did they leave you anything?"

"Leave me anything!" Carline repeated, feeling in his pockets. "I've got
my watch, and here's----"

He opened up his change pocketbook. There were six or seven dollars in
change and two or three wadded bills. When he looked for his main
supply, however, there was a difference. The money was all gone. He was
stripped to the last dollar in his money belt and of his hidden
resources.

"They did me!" he choked. "They got all I had!"

"They didn't kill you," Terabon said. "You're lucky. How did they bang
you and knock you out?"

"Why, I found they had my guns on board----"

"And you accused them?"

"No! I just said they were mine, I was surprised!"

"Then?"

"My light went out."

"When did they get your guns?"

"I woke up, up there, and you were gone. My guns and pocket money were
gone, too. I thought----"

"You thought I'd robbed you?"

"Ye----Well, I didn't know!"

"This is a devil of a river, old man!" said Terabon. "I guess you
travelled with the