had time to
recharge it after firing that which served as an alarm; but I took the
chances of the fact being discovered, and turned with the lantern held
high above my head to view the scene.

Near at hand Darius was kneeling on the British officer's chest,
industriously engaged in strapping the latter's arms to his body with
the prisoner's waist-belt.

In the distance Jerry and Josiah knelt beside a form which was
stretched out frightfully limp, as if life had departed; but I
observed that they were securing the man's hands and feet with
portions of his trousers.

Beyond them a short distance was a second Britisher, tied tightly with
what appeared to be strips torn from his own clothing, and midway
between them and Darius, was a third body, evidently that of the man
who had attacked me; but he remained motionless, and, having heard the
blow which struck him down, I could well understand why he did not
give any very violent signs of life.

It did not appear that I was needed elsewhere, therefore I turned my
attention to the miller, who was standing like a statue, not daring to
lift a finger lest Jim should "blow off the top of his head."

"Come here," I said to him. "Come here while my friend trusses you up
in proper fashion. What can you find there to tie him with, Jim?"

"Plenty," Jim cried gleefully as he picked up from the floor a couple
of bags and began cutting them into strips. "Here's enough an' to
spare, of what is better than rope."

The venture had come to a most successful end, providing there were no
others in the vicinity whose love for the British would prompt them to
interfere, and I was amazed, even amid the excitement of victory, that
we had come off ahead when it seemed certain the enemy could overcome
us easily.

Darius, having bound his captive, stood up facing me, and from the
expression on his face one never would have supposed that he had just
come unscratched out of as lively a tussle as I ever took part in. It
was as if he had been stowing oysters in the hold of the Avenger, and
was stretching his back before going at it again.

"You've done a big thing," I said, holding out my hand to congratulate
him. "To you belongs all the credit of having taken these prisoners,
and when we meet Commodore Barney I shall insist that he hears the
whole story, for I doubt if every old sailor has head enough to put
such a venture through in good shape."

It could readily be seen that the old man wa