Part 30 (1/2)
”Well, I sincerely trust we have no more such adventures”
The speaker was Randolph Rover He was seated on an old bench in one of the rooer which had been bruised in the fray It o hours later, and the fight had come to an end soh Sa from several small wounds Aleck had had his ear clipped by a bullet from Captain Villaire's pistol and was thankful that he had not been killed
Baxter, the picture of misery, was a prisoner The bully's face wasHe sat huddled up in a heap in a corner and wondering what punishment would be dealt out to hiroaned, and it ht he almost deserved that fate
”You came just in time,” said dick ”Captain Villaire was about to torture us into writing letters ho for the money he wanted as a ransom Baxter put it into his head that ere very rich”
”Oh, please don't say anything roaned the unfortunate bully ”I--that Frenchman put up this job all on his own hook”
”I don't believe it,” came promptly from Randolph Rover ”You met him, at Boma; you cannot deny it”
”So I did; but he didn't say he was going to capture you, and I--”
”We don't care to listen to your falsehoods, Baxter,” interrupted dick sternly
”You are fully as guilty as anybody You adone off to watch Captain Villaire and his party He now caand had taken a fallen tree and put out on the Congo and was drifting down the strea with several of his companions in crime
”Hih of urn fight”
Nevertheless the whole party re, their weapons ready for instant use But no alarm came, and when day, dawned they soon made sure that they had the entire locality around the old fort to theed to crawl off and reach his friends
What to do with Dan Baxter was a conundrum
”We can't take him with us, and if we leave him behind he will only be up to ht to turn him over to the British authorities”
”No, no, don't do that,” pleaded the tall youth ”Let ain”
”Your pro them,”
replied Toined Why don't you try to turn over a new leaf?”
”I will--if you'll only give me one more chance,” pleaded the former bully of Putnam Hall
The matter was discussed in private and it was at last decided to let Baxter go, providing he would, proht to the coast
”And reain ill shoot you on sight”
”I won't follow--don't be alarmed,” was the loer, and then Baxter was released and conducted to the road running down to Boiven the knife he had carried, but the Rovers kept his pistol, that he e shot at theain for a long while to come