"Oh!" grunted the fallen one. "D-don't cru-crush my ribs!" he panted. "L-let u-up!" "I won't let up until you promise to behave yourself," answered Dave, sternly. "For two pins, Link, I'd give you the thrashing of your life. You deserve it. What right had you to send me that note and call me a 'poorhouse nobody'?" "That's right, Dave. Pitch into him! Give him what he deserves!" agreed Phil. "Maybe a good licking would knock some common-sense into him." "D-don't you dare to--to t-touch me," panted the boy under Dave. "If you--you do, I'll ha-have the l-law on you!" "Don't talk about the law!" cried Dave. "The law will take care of you. When I caught you down on Cave Island, and you said that you were sorry that you had joined Jasniff in that robbery and that you were going to reform, I felt sorry for you. But you are a faker, Merwell, and I don't believe you ever will reform, and that's the reason I'm going to do my best now to place you in the hands of the law." "You--you--you let me u-up!" "I won't let you up until you promise to behave yourself and come along with us." "A-all right, I pro-promise." "Very well, then, you can get up," answered Dave, arising. "But remember, you have given us your word, and if you break it, I'll guarantee that Phil and I will come down on you like a ton of bricks. Now, if you know when you are well off, you'll do exactly as we tell you to." "I've got a scheme, Dave," broke in Phil, bringing out an extra piece of fishline from his pocket. "Let's tie his hands behind him with this. Then I don't think he'll care to run away--not very far, anyhow." "Humph! can't you let me walk along without having my hands tied?" grumbled the prisoner. "We are not going to take any chances, Link," answered the shipowner's son. "Now that we have caught you we are going to see that you get where you belong--in prison." "You send me to prison and my father will make it hot for you!" "You stop threatening us, Link!" ordered Dave, sternly. "All right. But you'll see!" Much against his will, Link Merwell was forced to place his hands behind him, and in a few minutes Phil and Dave had secured the fishline around his wrists. Then they picked up his cap, which had fallen off, and placed it on his head. "Now then, march!" ordered Dave. "And no funny work!" And he led the way back along the brook, with Merwell following and Phil bringing up the rear with the fishing outfits. "Say, how do you expect a fellow to get over these rocks with his hands tied behind him?" grumbled Link Merwell, after he had slipped several times. "You'll have to do the best you can," returned Phil, coldly. "A jailbird like you can't expect much consideration." "Bah, you make me tired, Phil Lawrence!" growled the prisoner. "I don't think you'll be able to send me to prison; not for long, anyhow! My father's got plenty of money; he'll get me out some way."