They did not live in the same moral atmosphere, in the first place; and the leader of the robbers had heard something of the prowess of Dory from Matt Randolph. By taking him in the rear, he had twice overcome him, and tied his arms behind him. Perhaps the fact that he had been able to do so was the most direct source of his contempt. He went to Sunday school, as Angy described his general character; and he did not believe that a lamb of this sort could be a lion when the occasion required. Angy had been perfectly sure that the exhibition of his revolver would reduce the prisoner to complete subjection if he proved to be refractory after he had released him. He had not intended to shoot him, when he snapped the weapon at him, for he knew something of the consequences of such a murderous act. But Dory did not "scare" as readily as he had supposed he would, and the fact that he was a Sunday-school scholar did not make a coward of him. As soon as the revolver missed fire, Dory decided not to wait for a dryer cartridge to explode. The boat was jumping on the waves at a furious rate, and was in the act of falling off into the trough of the sea when Angy made his demonstration with the pistol. To prevent this, he had attempted to use his oars. Dory made a long spring, and threw himself on the chief of the burglars. He came down upon him like a heavy body dropped from some point overhead. The thwart on which Angy was seated slipped out of its place under the concussion, and the two combatants came down in the bottom of the boat. Dory seized his intended victim by the throat, and contrived to get his legs on the arms of the fallen leader. Then he choked him with all his might as he struggled to free himself from this fierce embrace. The boat fell off into the trough of the sea, and the water poured in upon them. Dory saw, that, if the affair was not finished very quickly, the conclusion of it would have to be reached in the water, with no boat under him. But no human being could stand the amount of choking inflicted upon Angy, and he soon weakened under the punishment. With a sudden movement, Dory turned him over on his face, and crowded his head down into the water in the bottom of the boat. The rope with which Dory had been bound was within his reach; and, as soon as the resistance under him would permit, he grasped it with one hand, while he held the victim with the other. Angy realized what he was doing, even while his breath was bubbling in the water under him; and he made his last effort to shake off the Sunday-school scholar. But he was too weak to accomplish any thing, and he had to give up the battle.