"All right: we have knocked them both over, and secured them," answered Dory, adding a fit of coughing to his muzzled voice; but he did not deem it necessary to define more particularly the identity of the two fellows who had been knocked over. Chuck seemed to be satisfied with the answer, and immediately he called to his companions in the hold; though Dory did not understand what he said. The machinist had been strengthening his works at the hatches, by piling on the boards over the opening, all the heavy articles he could find on the deck. While he was thus engaged, all the party in the hold left, doubtless at the call of Chuck, who appeared to have succeeded Mack in the command. The two prisoners on deck had been placed in the waist, and they were too far off to hear what passed between Dory and Chuck. As soon as the departure of the fellows in the hold would permit, Mr. Jepson hastened aft. Dory gave him the helm, and went to the stern, though he was careful not to show himself to the operators below. At the stern of the vessel was a pair of davits, at which the tender was usually hoisted up. A glance at them, and a knowledge of their use, suggested the means of preventing the rest of the party below from coming on deck. "On deck! Why don't you open the doors of the cabin so that we can come out?" shouted Chuck, who had retreated to the cabin, considering it no longer necessary to risk the necks of his followers in the difficult ascent from the cabin through the window. "Why don't you let us out? Open the cabin-doors!" "They won't open," replied Dory. "Then, take that stuff off the hatchway! We don't want to stay down here all day," added Chuck, very much discontented with the situation, and especially with the failure of his companions to do any thing. "Only two of us here on deck. We have to work the vessel, and that is all we can do," added Dory, coughing again with all his might; while the machinist stood at the tiller, laughing at the farce, as it seemed to him. "Open the doors, and let us up, and we will help you," persisted Chuck. "You keep quiet where you are! We will let you out as soon as we have time to clear the stuff from the hatchway," said Dory. "We can't keep quiet: the keg of beer is empty.--But we can tap another," answered Chuck; and the last remark seemed to indicate a sudden new idea. Dory was not willing to encourage him to drink any more beer; and he left his place at the stern, to end the conversation. At this moment he took a survey of the lake, and discovered the Sylph coming out of the river. He had been expecting to see her for the last two hours, and her appearance was a source of intense delight to him. "Our troubles will soon be over," said the skipper to the machinist, as he pointed up the lake at the steam-yacht. "Our troubles!" exclaimed Mr. Jepson. "Why, Dory, I had made up my mind that you rather enjoyed this circus."