“By gad, I’ll make ye open up!” cried the cross-eyed knave, losing his temper.  He was about to strike Hugh again, when the other man, still holding the lad in a steel-trap grip, pushed him aside with one foot.

“Hold off, Harry,” he commanded gruffly.  “I know where his camp is.  He’s one of Lem Vinton’s crew.  That’s the Arrow over yonder, but he ain’t going back to it yet awhile.”

“Let me go!” shouted Hugh, struggling to free himself from the grasp of those sinewy hands.  “Let me go, I say!  What—–­what do you want with me?  I tell you---help!  Hel-----”

The frantic shout was checked by another blow from the angry ruffian’s fist, and Hugh measured his length upon the sand.

“Shut up, will ye?” snarled the man, thrusting a bunch of sharp-edged grass into Hugh’s mouth.  “Look here, Branks,” he added, “we can’t let this kid blow the gaff on us to Lem Vinton.  Why, the cap’n wouldn’t wait ten minutes before he’d sail out to find that blamed cutter ag’in; and then we’d have him and the Petrel on our trail.”

“Harry, you’re right—–­dead right.   The boy has got to come with
us, until-----”

“Sure!  Here, lend a hand.  Tie his arms.”

With their leather belts they bound the lad’s hands securely, despite his struggles.  Once, by a manful effort, he managed to break away and run forward a few yards.  But they were after him instantly, before he could get the gag out of his mouth.  In the tussle that followed, he kicked and writhed so vigorously that the cross-eyed captor howled with pain.  Then, beside himself with rage, he felled Hugh by a blow on the head.

Myriads of stars reeled in the sunlight before Hugh’s eyes, then the light of day changed to pitch darkness, and Hugh sank down on the sand—–­a limp heap, unconscious.

CHAPTER V

KIDNAPPED BY SMUGGLERS

When Hugh regained his senses, about half an hour later, he found himself lying on the bottom of a canoe, bound and gagged, staring up at the sky.  The sun beat down upon him, full in his face, causing him to close his eyes until he could just see through the lashes,—–­a trick he had learned in many games played in the woodlands.  In the present instance it served him well, for the three men who were paddling the canoe swiftly toward the mainland believed that he had not yet recovered fully from the punishing they had given him; so, after their first glance, they paid little attention to the captive.

Though the threatened storm which Captain Vinton and Dave had looked for on the previous evening had given way to a mild and sunny day, the breeze was still brisk and the sea was choppy.  The canoe bobbed up and down on the short waves, and Hugh was rolled from one side to the other or bounced roughly with every motion of the light craft.  He felt sick and sore, his head ached miserably, and though he had had no breakfast, the very thought of food was repugnant to him.