"I am glad you did," replied Joe, "but I shall always be sorry that you ever had anything to do with them in the first place."
With a few long sweeps of his steering-oar, Silas brought the flat broadside to the bank, and Joe Morgan sprang out. Tom Hallet was the first one to speak to him.
"Did I understand you to say that you have not seen Bob since we ate dinner together?" said he in a trembling voice.
"That is just what I said," answered Joe, whose worst fears were now fully confirmed. "You and he went off together, and I haven't seen him since. Where is he?"
"I wish I knew," replied Tom. "We felt sorry for you, when we saw you going away alone; but you got back safe and sound, while we didn't. You see— Where's your lantern?"
Joe replied that he had brought a candle, and proceeded to light it. Then Bob handed him a slip of paper on which were written the following fateful words:
"If you will bring back the property you stole from us, and put it where you found it, we will give up our prisoner. If you don't, or if you attempt to play tricks upon us, you will never see him again."
This portion of the note was written in a strange hand, but under it was a postscript which Tom declared had been penned by nobody but Bob Emerson. It ran thus:
"They've got me, Tom, and that's all there is about it. For goodness sake, bring back that valise! And be quick about it, for they threaten to do all sorts of dreadful things to me, if their demands are not complied with in less than twenty-four hours."
Joe handed back the piece of paper, and looked at Tom without speaking.