Part 88 (1/2)

”Where are you going?” he groaned at last

”What's that to you? Home!” said Vince sharply

”Nay, nay; don't take ive in You two have 'ive you; only don't take ue, you old ruffian,” cried Vince, as steering and holding the sheet too, while Mike kept guard with the conger bat

”Mind, Mike Don't take your eyes off hiain”

”Nay, I'roan ”My head! ht,” cried Mike ”I believe you o; and he turned up his eyes till only the whites, or rather the yellows, could be seen, and then lay perfectly still; while the boat bounded onward noards the island, as if eager to bear the boys to their houre in the botto; and now that the heat of battle was over, and he sat there in his saturated clothes, he began to wonder at their success in winning the day Then, as Daygo lay quite still, he began to think that they had gone too far, and his opinion was endorsed by his companion, who suddenly leaned back to look at him, with a face full of horror

”Cinder,” he said, ”I didn't mean to, but I hit him too hard”

”Put the bat down, and come and take the oar and sheet,” whispered back Vince, whose nervous feeling increased as the change was made

Vince was no doctor, but he had not been about with his father for years, and dipped into his books, without picking up so these to bear, he leaned over their prisoner and listened to his breathing, studied his countenance a little, and then placed a couple of fingers upon the man's massive wrist and then at his throat and tehastly-looking, Mike atching hi breath,--

”Is he--”

Mike wanted to say ”dead,” but the ould not come

”Yes,” said Vince, in the sauard”

”No, no--you,” said Mike; ”I'll steer”

Vince nodded, and seated himself on the thwart over the prisoner, with the heavy piece of wood close at hand

The boat bounded on, and he glanced at the distant vessels, wondering whether the cutter would capture the schooner and the lugger get safely to port He thought, too, a good deal about the man in the bottoht in his ideas; for every now and then there was a twitching of the muscles about the corners of his eyes, which at last opened in a natural way, and looked piteously in the boy's face

”How far are we from the shore?” he said

”'Bout a ht you were dead?”

”So I ao ”Oh, ood crack,” said Vince; ”and you'll get another if you don't lie still”

”But you've tiedinto my wristies”

”Of course it is,” said Vince coolly ”I tied it as tightly as I could

You ought to be pretty well satisfied that we didn't leave you to drown”