"You have knocked the skin all off my legs," said he, as Dory assisted him to rise.
"I want you to understand that I am going to take you to the Beech Hill Industrial School, Angy, and if you get hurt on the way, it will be your own fault," said Dory impressively.
"I can't stand being dragged like a dead snake, and I will walk," answered Angy. "But you don't mean that you are going to hand me over to old Squalipop?"
"I am going to hand you over to Captain Gildrock, the principal of our school."
"But this was nothing but a lark on the part of our fellows, the members of the Nautifelers Club. We are up here to have some fun; and you ought not to make a serious thing of it," said Angy, trying to be amiable again.
"Blow up a safe in the night, and take over two thousand dollars from it, and that is nothing but a lark! You can present that argument to the principal; and he will hear it, for he is not deaf. What's that? I heard voices," said Dory, looking about him.
Dory was a little alarmed; for it occurred to him that the other robbers, or some of them, had swum ashore. He listened, and heard the voices again; but it came the wrong way to be from the crew of the schooner. A moment's reflection assured him that it must be some party from the school. Then he shouted, and received an answer to his hail. It sounded like the voice of Mr. Jepson.
Dory resumed his march with the prisoner. He began to feel as though he was getting out of the woods. In a few minutes more he saw the engineer and the carpenter hurrying towards him. Angy could not help seeing them also; and he breathed a sigh, which was perhaps the knell of his hopes, if he had had any hopes.
"What have you got there, Dory?" called Mr. Brookbine, as soon as he discovered the prisoner and his custodian.
"Where is the other one?" asked Mr. Jepson.
"The other four are off on the lake, on board of that schooner which came into the river yesterday. I am glad to see you, for I am very tired," said Dory.
As he spoke, he seated himself on a log. In as few words as possible he related what had occurred, and described his conflict with his prisoner. Angy could not help putting in a few words to explain how he happened to be beaten.