"Don"t waste a moment," he gasped, "but go ash.o.r.e and cut some more of the cedars to pile on these."
"Ay, ay," replied Tim, and he hastened away.
Timberlake was next nearest.
"Are you fastened?" Jack asked him.
"Yes; bound hand and foot."
"I"ll get you up in a moment."
"Shack," groaned Fritz. "Hurry ub."
His mouth was even with the water, and it was with the greatest difficulty that he prevented himself swallowing it.
Tim came back and flung some cedars to Jack.
With these he built his bridge out further.
Giving the sheriff a pull that raised him a foot, Jack left him and made his way to Fritz.
He reached the Dutchman just in time to save him.
It almost pulled the fat fellow"s joints apart when the inventor hauled him up, but once he was free of his bonds and upon the cedars he aided Jack to pull the sheriff up and set him free.
They all got their feet stuck in the sand as they fought and struggled to reach firm land, for the trees were now sunk but they finally managed to get ash.o.r.e.
Here they found Tim bombarding the woods.
All the bandits had seen what was happening, and now opened fire upon them again.
The old sailor procured two bombs.
He let thus drive in the direction the shots came from, and they ripped the woods and blew up rocks and trees, and created the most terrific devastation.
That silenced the outlaws.
None of them were killed, but many were wounded, and they now lost no time at making their escape.
Jack and his companions hastened back aboard the Terror, and sent her flying back to the road.
There they waited for the appearance of some of the gang; but they waited in vain.
All had escaped in the other direction.
When a.s.sured of this, the four adventurers went inside to change their clothing, and rest themselves.
Jack"s companions told him how they happened to be found sinking in the bed of quicksand.
"They meant to kill you!" he exclaimed.
"Ay, ay, lad! But you balked "em!" chuckled Tim.
"And I"ve get most of the stolen money back," laughed Jack, as he held up the wad of bank notes he took from Jesse James.
_"Donner und blitzen!_ Vot a surbrised barty dot vos fer der pandits,"
roared Fritz. "Inshtid of Yesse Yames hookin" money from odder beoples, it must haf peen shtrange fer him ter haf money hooked from him alretty."
"Yes--a very novel experience for the thief," said the sheriff, dryly.
"I congratulate you, Mr. Wright, for doing something to that villain that n.o.body else ever did. It is a most remarkable thing for Jesse James to be robbed."
"I reckerlect when I wuz in ther navy," said Tim, "I once had a experience like that. We went out ter hunt fer a fillibuster"s ship when wot wuz our surprise ter have ther lubber tackle us. Gee whiz! wuzn"t I mad! I ups an" loads one o"ther guns ter fire at him when he slipped aroun" asturn us. As we couldn"t train no gun ter b"ar on him in that ther sitiwation wot should I do but git a coil o" rope, mount ther riggin" an" la.s.so his capstan, It wuz a mighty good throw too. Waal, sir, we heaved an" hauled on that ere rope, dragging ther lubber over to our ship until we got him alongside---"
"And none of them attempted to cut your la.s.so from their capstan?" asked Jack. "They must have wanted to get captured."
"It"s werry funny," said Tim, "but none o" them seemed ter think o"
doin" that. Waal, sir, as soon as we hauled "em alongside we had a broadside ready ter pour inter that craft ter blow her ter pieces, an"
ther gunners wuz at ther posts ready ter fire. But afore we could carry out this plan ther willians boarded us an" captured us an" our ship."
"It can"t be possible?"
"But it wuz, my lad."
"How did you escape?"
"One night I got free an" rushed into the powder magazine with a lit pipe in my mouth, an" them arter me."
"If you were a prisoner where did you got the lit pipe?"
"Oh, I had it," replied Tim. "Ter continer, seein" my enemies all rushin" arter me, I took ther pipe an" yelled fer "em ter go back or I"d drop ther burnin" baccy inter ther powder. They refused---"
"And you dropped the light into the powder?"
"No. Ther light had gone out," grinned Tim. "It skeered "em so though, that when they recovered they bolted out, an" fearin" ter git blowed up, they all jumped overboard an" was drowned. I released my messmates, an" we took ther ship."
"Tim, is that a lie, or a fabrication?"
"A fabrication, o" course," indignantly and innocently answered the old salt. "D"yer s"pose Tim Topstay would tell a lie?"
CHAPTER XVI.
THE CAPTURE OF WOOD HITE.
On the second day after the aforegoing events occurred Fritz happened to glance into the water tank of the Terror and noticed that their supply of liquid was running low.
This was very unpleasant, as they were then nowhere near any spring or stream, and he walked into the front room where Jack sat talking to Timberlake, and said:
"Dere don"t vos more as enough water to last bis to-night."