As soon as the two vessels were secured together, Capt. Bendig came on board of the cutter. He had been unable to obtain any satisfaction of Mr. Wilkins; and he judged what had been done, by the movements of the steamer. He had seen her overhaul the ship, but the two vessels were too far off for him to observe what had taken place. The first person he saw when he went over the side of the cutter was the cashier, sitting with his wife on the quarter-deck. The sad face of the defaulter was enough to convince him that the worst had transpired. “How’s this?” he asked, walking up to the cashier. “It is all over: your treachery has ruined me,” replied Mr. Wallgood bitterly. “What do you mean by that?” demanded the skipper of the yacht. “You took the money I paid that boy, away from him; and he told the captain of this cutter the whole story.” “What, that wharf-rat?” exclaimed the captain. “I will take it out of his hide if he did.” “That will do no good. It is too late to do any thing now,” groaned the cashier. “The mischief is done.” “See here, you young whelp, did you tell the captain of this cutter who was on board of the ‘Moonlight’?” said Capt. Bendig, rushing fiercely at Wade, who was standing near the rail. “I did: I told him all I knew about the matter,” replied Wade frankly. “You did!” and the captain seized him by the collar, and was about to chastise him on the spot, when the captain of the cutter ordered his men to lay hands on the assailant. The sailors were not very gentle about it, and the skipper was tumbled all in a heap into the scuppers. “If you attempt any thing of that kind again, I will arrest you, and put you in irons,” said the captain of the cutter sternly. “You will find you have enough to do take care of yourself, without meddling with others.” “I shall get even with that young thief somehow, or my name is not Bendig,” added the skipper, as he picked himself up. “This world isn’t big enough for both of us till I have given him what he deserves.” “What fault have you to find with him?” “He broke into the yacht, and then got possession of business secrets, which he has used to my disadvantage; and I will take it out of his hide.” “If you do, I shall know where to look for you,” replied Capt. Singleton. “Perhaps this business is a little outside of the strict line of my duty; but the robbing of a national bank is a matter for United States officers to deal with, and I shall take the responsibility. As for you, Capt. Bendig, you are guilty of a grave offence. You have used the yacht of your owner in assisting a bank defaulter to escape with his plunder. I don’t think you can settle that with your owner alone.” “I think I can,” replied the skipper. “Mr. Wallgood, how much were you to pay this man for his services?” asked the captain of the cutter, turning to the cashier. “That was a private bargain, and it’s none of your business,” interposed Bendig.