His uncle listened with deep interest, and occasionally asked a question. Once or twice they were disturbed by the racket made by the prisoners in the cabin. Possibly they had tapped another keg of beer, but nothing indicated that they were aware of the state of things on deck. "I am not going to blame or condemn you for what you have done, Dory; but I wish you had come home when Mr. Brookbine did," said Captain Gildrock, with the smile somewhat intensified, when his nephew had finished his narrative, and the two vessels were just going into Beechwater. "And I should have liked it still better if you had kept entirely away from the robbers. You have endangered your life, and frightened your mother almost out of her wits." "I thought I ought to do something, and I did the best I could," replied Dory. "You have got back all the money that was stolen; and all the robbers have been captured, and handed over to the officers." "As a boy of seventeen, you have conducted your pursuit with remarkable skill; you have been courageous beyond your years; you have been persistent and persevering to a degree that could hardly have been expected of many men of mature age. I appreciate your skill, courage, and perseverance; and still, I wish you had not done these things, though they will add greatly to your reputation." "Then, I ought to have turned in after the explosion, and let these fellows do the same thing over again in some other place?" added Dory, with a cheerful smile, for he did not consider himself at all damaged by what his uncle had said. "The reason why I wish you had not done these things is a purely selfish one,--simply because you exposed yourself to a very great peril. If that revolver had not missed fire, you might have been killed." "If one of the fellows fall overboard, I am to let him drown because my mother will be frightened, or because I take the risk of drowning myself," said Dory, laughing now. His uncle bit his lip, and Dory felt that he had the best of the argument. At any rate, the uncle did not think it wise to say any thing more about the matter; and the schooner was made fast to the wharf. The Goldwing landed her crew a little later. CHAPTER XXVI. "SEE, THE CONQUERING HERO COMES!" The Goldwing had hardly landed her crew, before the Lily came up to the wharf. Then came the Marian, whose party had not lost sight of the schooner, though they had no suspicion that their late passengers had any relations with the robbers. All the students were so much excited by their curiosity to know more about the robbers, and about the doings of Dory, that sailing and handling a steam-yacht were for the time lacking in interest to them. The captains of the several craft had full powers, and they could instruct and practise their crews as well in the river as on the lake.