Meanwhile Penwarden had scrambled painfully to his feet, and limped towards the scene of the struggle. His limbs, cramped and numbed by his bonds, were as yet almost powerless. But seeing Doubledick’s legs for an instant disentangled from those of his assailant, the old man suddenly threw himself across them, pinning Doubledick to the floor, and so putting an end to his struggles. Dick raised himself, keeping his hands on the man’s throat. The heaving and writhing ceased. While Dick still held him down, Penwarden hobbled behind the barrels, carrying a lantern, found the gag that had been used on himself, and brought it back to turn it to account with Doubledick. His own hands were still too much numbed to tie an effective knot, but he held the gag between Doubledick’s teeth while Dick made it fast. All this time there had come through the hole in the floor the murmur of voices. Without relaxing his grip, Dick leant over and peered down. He was just able to see that a boat lay beneath; the hole was vertically above the sea. "Ah, mon Dieu!" cried one of the boat’s crew, perceiving Dick’s head, "ven come ze—ze packet?" Dick withdrew. "Answer," he said to Penwarden. The old man tried to speak, but could give utterance only to a hoarse whisper. Whereupon Dick, in a voice intended to be an imitation of Doubledick’s, replied: "In a minute." His imitation was so entirely unsuccessful that he durst not say more. The Frenchman’s question had suggested a means of dealing with Doubledick. In attacking him, Dick had no definite plan in his mind for subsequent action. He was concerned only to prevent Penwarden from being lowered through the trapdoor. But now that Doubledick was in his power, it struck him that it would be simple justice to serve him as he had intended to serve Penwarden. He whispered the suggestion to the old man, who received it with a low chuckle. "But they fellers down below will know un," he murmured. "Will they? They are French; Doubledick has never been to France. They won’t remove the gag, probably, until they are well out to sea, and if I know them, they won’t put back and run the risk of meeting the cutter, even if they do discover their mistake." "Ze packet, ze packet!" came the impatient cry from below. No more time was lost. The cords that had bound Penwarden were useless, but there was plenty of sling-stuff on the tubs, and in a few seconds enough was slipped off for the purpose. Both Dick and the exciseman were used to handling rope, and though the latter’s fingers were still somewhat numb, he was able to lend some feeble assistance to Dick in securing Doubledick to the plank. At the end of this there was a hook. They attached this to the rope over the windlass, and prepared to lower the innkeeper to the hands waiting below. At the last moment Penwarden slipped off the crepe mask that still covered Doubledick’s face.