nd stretched himself; for his long vigil among the
branches of that tree had, as he declared, "tied him all up in a knot."

"Take them along with us and hand them over to the authorities at
Memphis, if we get no chance nearer. Suppose you stay here with them
just now, Jimmie."

"While you drop over to the other cove and see what they do be havin'
in that motor boat of theirs," observed the Irish boy, cheerfully.
"Just as ye say, Jack. Ye know bist, and I'm riddy to folly orders.
But don't be too long, if ye plaise. It moight be lonely for me, I'm
thinkin'."

Jack came back inside of fifteen minutes, during which time Jimmie had
sat there by the resurrected fire, holding the precious Martin, and
keeping a close watch over the two bound robbers.

"Ye found it, all roight, I say, Jack?" announced the guardian of the
camp, as he noticed that his chum was "toting" a fair-sized satchel.

"Yes," the other answered, "this holds the stuff they carried off, and
which Mr. Gregory, the president of that Waverly bank, will be mightily
glad to get hold of again. But I know now just why they were so
anxious to capture us."

"They did be thinkin' we was sint afther thim, so I belaved," Jimmie
observed.

"That may be so," said Jack; "but there was another reason. They had
need of our boat."

"But, by the powers, they had wan jist as good; how could they use
both, Jack?"

"Theirs has got a big hole punched in the bow, and must have hit a rock
just when they started to come into the cove. They had tried to mend
it, but I guess that's a job for a practical boatbuilder and not for
amateurs. We'll have to let it stay here, and take our prisoners along
in the _Tramp_."

"So, that's the way the land lies, do it?" remarked Jimmie. "And whin
they saw us come in this same night, to be sure they made up their
moinds it was the finest bit of luck iver happened, changin' ould lamps
for new."

Jack was not satisfied until he had examined the bonds of the two men
and made them additionally secure. He also tied their ankles together,
avoiding hurting them all he could, yet taking no chances, for he knew
he was dealing with desperate characters.

The fellow whom Jimmie had flattened out like a pancake had nothing to
say, and seemed a gloomy customer. On the other hand, the second
prisoner made out to be a nervy, reckless, happy-go-lucky sort of a
fellow. He joked with the Irish lad, and pretended to be utterly
indifferent as