“Exactly. Then we’ll fix it so they won’t squeal on us.”
“That’s the talk!” cried Coulter. “Let us capture ’em by all means!”
And then the three unworthies advanced on Andy and Pepper to make them prisoners.
CHAPTER XXII
PRISONERS ON THE SLOOP
A short, sharp fight followed, and Ritter and Coulter were struck over the head with the hockey sticks. But then Andy slipped and fell and Ritter pounced upon him. Then Coulter attacked Pepper from the front and Paxton came up in the rear. Suddenly Paxton pulled the Imp’s legs from under him, and as he went down his head struck on the guard rail and he was momentarily stunned. He was thrown into the cuddy and Andy was thrown after him, and then the tiny door was shut and bolted. To make the temporary prison more secure the Ritter crowd ran a heavy rope around the cuddy, just as one would put a rope around a big box.
“Hi, let us out!” shouted Andy and began to pound on the door loudly. “If you don’t we’ll make it hot for you!”
“You’ve got to stay in there for awhile,” answered Ritter, coolly.
Paxton and Coulter were much excited over the turn affairs had taken and wanted to know what was to be done next.
“Let us talk it over,” said Ritter. “I didn’t expect this any more than you did.” And he rubbed the lump one of the hockey sticks had raised over his left ear. “I’ll pay Ditmore back for that crack, see if I don’t,” he added, bitterly.
“I got one, too, from Snow,” growled Coulter.