“Why, this isn’t anything human,” called Jack.  “It’s just a—­”

Thump!  A jarring blow fell upon him from behind, knocking the boy nearly unconscious.  Hal, struck at the same moment, felt his head reel, and then did lose consciousness for a few moments.

“Ha, ha!  Ho! ho!” roared the elfin youngster, his tears suddenly giving place to laughter as he fled.

It was Joshua Owen, aided by his bullying nephew, Dan Jaggers, who had made this sudden, treacherous assault.  That both were well prepared for the miserable trick was shown by the speed with which they tied the hands of the helpless boys behind them.

“Now, bring your prize along,” directed Owen, jubilantly, as he picked up Hal Hastings, bearing that youth on his shoulder.

Jaggers, though not a giant, was strong enough to do the same with Jack Benson.  Further and further into the thicket they bore their captives, pausing only once, to gag their charges as soon as the latter showed a disposition to yell.

At last the rascally pair halted in the depths of the woods, dumping their human burdens on the ground.

“You’re not the lightest thing I ever carried,” growled Josh Owen, panting somewhat, as he reached for his pipe and filled it.

“Now!” clicked Dan Jaggers, shaking a dirty, heavy fist over Jack’s face.  “I can pay you back for that black eye, and all the other mean things you done to me, you sneak!”

“Oh, we’ll pay ye both back,” gritted Owen, lighting his pipe and puffing.  “An’ say!  I hear ye’re both slated for the launchin’ of the ‘Pollard’ to-morrow, and that ye’re to have a try as members of the crew.  Well, ye won’t be at the launching!  Take it from me that, if ye ever git back to Dunhaven, ’twon’t be for many a day yet.  We’ve got a fine place to hide ye, near here.  Nobody’ll ever find ye, even if they take the trouble t’look.  And, as the days go by, Dan and me will take plenty of chance t’show ye just how we feel about ye.  We’ll pay ye back, with loads of interest, younkers, for the mean things ye’ve done to us!”

As if to emphasize his spite, Owen gave each of them a kick as he stood over the boys, glaring down at them.

In the minds of Jack and Hal, torment was raging.  Ordinarily, it would have been bad enough to be certain of missing the launching of the submarine boat, and of possibly losing their places in the crew.  But now, a far greater terror assailed them.  They had collected the eight hundred dollars.  If they failed to appear and to turn it over, Jacob Farnum would have the best reason in the world for believing them defaulters.

“Wondering what I’m going to do t’ye, to square matters, ain’t ye?” demanded Dan Jaggers, bending over and glaring into Jack’s eyes.  “Well, go on guessin’.  My hate’s that great that I’m goin’ ter take plenty o’ time to think it over ’fore I do a thing t’ye.”

“I guess, first-off, Dan,” observed his uncle, “ye’d better go back t’ the road an’ leave that horse somewheres further off.  Probably, if ye do, it’ll trot back into Dunhaven, and that’ll be good enough.”