“Hold still!  I’ll kill the first man who makes a move!”

As Shirley’s voice rang out, Cleary with his assistants was dashing across the open space to the end of the dock.

“Shove out that boat-hook and hold onto the dock!” was the additional order, accompanied by a punctuation mark in the form of another bullet which splintered the gunwale of the boat.  Looking as they were, into the dazzling eye of the bulb light, the men were uncertain of the number of their assailants:  surrender was natural.  Cleary’s men made quick work of them.  The boat from the yacht now hove to by this time, filled with excited and profane sailormen.  The skipper of the “White Swan,” revolver drawn, stood in its bow as it bumped against the stairway.  Howard Van Cleft was unbound:  dazed but happy he tried to talk.

“What—­why—­who?” he mumbled.

“Pat Cleary, from the Holland Detective Agency,” was Shirley’s response.  “There, handcuff these men quick.  Two cops are coming.  We want the credit of this job before the rookies beat us to it.”

Van Cleft recognized the speaker, and caught his hand fervently.  Shirley, though, was too busy for gratitude.  He gave another quick direction.

“Hurry on board your yacht tender and get underway.  Your life isn’t worth a penny if you stay in town another hour.  These men will be attended to.  Good luck and goodbye.”

The young man rapidly transferred his luggage to his own boat.  They were soon out of view on their way to the larger vessel.  Shirley turned toward Cleary.

“I’ll file the charge against these two men.  They tried to rob me and make their getaway in this boat.  You were down here as a bodyguard for Van Cleft, who, of course, knew nothing about the matter as he left for his cruise.  So his name can be kept out of it entirely.  And the fact that you helped to save him from paying fifty thousand dollars in blackmail, will not injure the size of Captain Cronin’s bill.  Get me?”

“It’s got!” laughed Cleary.

Two patrolmen were dumfounded when they reached the spot to find four men in handcuffs in charge of six armed guardians.  The superintendent explained the situation as laid out by Shirley.  The cavalcade took its way to the East Twenty-first Street Police Station, where the complaint was filed.  Sullen and perplexed about their failure, the men were all locked in their cells, after their leader had his shoulder dressed by an interne summoned from the nearby Bellevue Hospital.

Shirley and Cleary returned with the others to the waiting automobile, after these formalities.  The prisoners had been given the customary opportunity to telephone to friends, but strangely enough did not avail themselves of it.

“We’re cutting down the ranks of the enemy, Cleary,” observed the detective as he lit a cigarette.  “But I wonder who it was that escaped in the water?”

“He’ll be next in the net.  But say, Mr. Shirley, what percentage do you get for all this work, I’m awondering?” was the answering query.  The criminologist laughed.