"Oh! oh! Help me!" groaned Bostwick piteously. "Give me a drink of water!"
"Where are the others?" asked Dick.
"Gone! They left me to take care of myself. Oh, the wretches! Please help me; won't you, for the love of Heaven!"
"Yes, we will help you," answered Tom.
"You are certain they have all gone?" went on Dick, as he got out some oil and bandages, while Tom ran for water.
"Yes, yes!"
"Where did they go?"
"They went—oh, my legs and feet! How they smart! They went to
the—the—house! Lesher said you must have set the ship on fire, and
Baxter said the same. They—oh, what a pain! Please be careful!"
Bostwick gulped down the water Tom gave him. "That is good."
"What did they say, Bostwick?" asked Dick, as he continued to work over the hurt man.
"They said they were going to pay you back. They all went armed; that is, all but me and Shular. Shular was burnt up. They said they were going to shoot you down on sight, and then run the house to suit themselves. I said—oh, the pain. I—I—how weak I am!"