"You think you won't? I don't believe I shall have much trouble in tying the hands behind him of that fellow on the floor," continues Bissell. "It is for you to decide whether you will have your hands tied before or after you are knocked stiff. I will begin with you, Mr. Twinker." "No, you won't!" cried Mad, as he sprang from his seat, and rushed madly upon the skipper. Bissell was on his feet, and, reaching out his long arm, he took his assailant by the throat, in spite of the wild blows he aimed at him. This time he did not pitch him on the floor, but choked him till the ruffian began to feel weak, and to relax his struggles. "You take the tiller, Paul, but don't let go the spare one. If one of them moves aft, knock him as you did the first fellow," said Bissell, as he picked up the reef pendant he had cut off. Paul took the helm. He had steered a sailboat before, though he knew next to nothing about the general management of the craft, and kept her as she was. By this time Mad was decidedly faint, and the owner had no difficulty in tying his arms behind him. When he had done so, he picked up the crutch again, and stepped forward. His next victim was Buck Lamb; but as about all the vim had gone out of the bully, it was an easy job to secure him. The other four ruffians made no resistance worth mentioning, for the crutch in the hand of the skipper was an awful weapon; so was the spare tiller which Paul wielded. If the ruffians could have got hold of anything in the way of clubs, doubtless they would have held out longer. As it was, they were completely vanquished. Bissell had ranged them three on a side as he bound them, and they had not been inclined to move. Possibly they thought they were in a bad condition to save themselves if the Silver Moon had taken it into her head to upset and spill them into the angry lake. "We are all right now, Paul. Don't you say so?" said the skipper, as he seated himself on the weather side and took the helm. "I should say that we were," replied the late prisoner heartily. "You have saved me, Mr. Bissell, from an awful pounding at the hands of Major Billcord and his son; and I owe you a thousand thanks. I shall never forget what you have done for me to-day." "I think I got saved myself this forenoon," added the skipper; "and I guess I know how it feels. I think we should all have been drowned in the Silver Moon if it hadn't been for the Beech Hillers; and I don't feel as though I could ever do half enough for them. We are not square yet, Paul, and you did your share." "I didn't do much; it was Dory Dornwood who did it all," answered Paul modestly. "It cut me like a sharp razor to give in to a mere boy on sailing, but Dory knows more about a boat with his eyes shut than I do with mine wide open. He didn't put on any airs, either," continued Bissell, with enthusiasm.