oom where there was not much light and bound
hand and foot. At length he heard footsteps in the passage outside, and
then the door was opened and two men came in, followed by a boy carrying
a lantern in his hand. The men picked Dick up and carried him out, but
not before he had seen the boy's face, and the boy had seen him and had
given him a swift look of intelligence. The boy was the one he had
befriended, and however he happened to be here, whether he was leagued
with these evil men or not, Dick knew that he would help him. The boy
went ahead, down a flight of stairs to a damp cellar, and along a
passage to some place where there was a damp smell and foul odors from
the swamps along the river.

"Set him down, Bill," said one of the men, and Dick was placed on the
ground on his back.

"Go after the bag, Tom," one man said, "or send your pop and the rest
here."

"Won't do it!" said the boy. "Dad will beat me. Go yourself. I will
watch him."

"Go on, Jeb."

"Go yourself, or come along. Tom ain't used to these things, and the old
man will lick him, too. Knows you're here, does he, boy?"

"No, he don't. Safest place for me is the grog shop when he has no
money, 'cause he won't come there."

"He'll be here all right, then," with a laugh. "He wouldn't miss seein'
the rebel chucked into the water. Come on, Bill. Here, give us your
lantern, Tom."

"All right," and Dick knew by the gathering shadows that the men were
going away.

Then the boy suddenly kneeled at his side and said in a hoarse whisper
and with great excitement:

"I found out where you was, Captain, and made up my mind to save you.
I've got a knife and will cut the ropes. Wish I had the lantern. Never
mind, I can feel. Can you roll over?"

"Yes, I guess so," but at that moment there were other footsteps and
more lights and hoarse voices.

"Never mind, Captain, I'll do it yet!" hissed the boy. "I'll do it if I
have to kill dad and the lot of 'em."

Then the spy, the boy's father, the landlord, and the men who had
brought Dick to the place, came up and the boy slunk back into the
darkness and awaited his time.

"Got the bag there, Bill?"

"Yes; here it is."

Two of the men picked Dick up, while another held the sack open and drew
it over his feet. The boy came up, and Dick felt a keen bladed knife put
between his hands and for an instant saw the face of the boy.

"Here, get out of the way!"

"Hold him steady, Jeb!"

"Don't be so long the