“Hullo!” exclaimed Brick, as he pulled himself to a sitting position.
The strangers hastened to his side.
“How do you feel?” asked the elder lad. “I was just going for a doctor.”
“I’ll be all right pretty soon,” replied Brick. “I’ve got a thumping headache, though.”
“And no wonder, with a bruise like that over your eye. Do you remember what happened?”
“Yes,” answered Brick, “up to a certain point. But how did I get here?”
“We heard the racket, and ran out with our guns and a lantern. We saw a man jump from a boat down near the water. We chased him a short distance, and he fired at us twice. We found you lying on the bottom with an ugly bruise on your forehead, and between us we got you up here.”
“You certainly saved my life,” declared Brick, gratefully, “and you saved something else, too. This is what the ruffian was after. You scared him off before he could find it.”
He unbuttoned his jacket, and drew out the pocketbook. Then, in a few words, he related the whole adventure to his new friends.
“I’m lucky to escape with a bruise and the loss of my overcoat,” he concluded. “It would have been ten times worse but for you fellows.”