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"What are these yere gals doin' here?" asked Shaggam, with interest. "Got 'em prisoners. Tell ye all 'bout it ter-morrow," answered Gouch, thickly. "Big deal on better'n stealin' hosses. "They seem to be very nice girls," answered Jake Shaggam. He was a harmless kind of an individual with a face that was far from repugnant. Watching her chance Dora drew close to the old man.
In the month of August, 1581, captain John Gouch being appointed Governour of Munster by the Lord Deputy, Raleigh attended him in several journies to settle and compose that country; but the chief place of their residence was Cork, and after Gouch had cut off Sir John Desmond, brother to the earl of Desmond, who was at the head of the rebellion, he left the government of that city to Raleigh , whose company being not long after disbanded upon the reduction of that earl, the slaughter of his brother, and the submission of Barry, he returned to England.
"You and your pard are running off with the boat?" queried Hamp Gouch. "Yes." "Good enough. We claim a half-interest in the boat. Don't that go?" "That's pretty cheeky," returned Lew Flapp. "Let it go at that, Flapp," came from Baxter. "Yes, you can have a half-interest. But that isn't our game." "What is the game?"
The fellows on board told us that they had seen a sailboat with two men in it beating up the river, and from the description we took the men to be Loring and Gouch." "How did the houseboat look?" asked Tom. One of the officers of the law gave a brief description of the Dora and told what he could of Baxter and Flapp. "It's our houseboat beyond a doubt," said Sam.
As it happened, the captain used liquor, and several bottles were brought out, much to the satisfaction of the horse thieves. "This makes me feel more like talking," said Hamp Gouch, after swallowing a goodly portion of the stuff. "Perhaps you had better give us the whole game straight from start to now," said Pick Loring. "Then we can make up our minds just what we can do."
As speedily as possible, messages were sent to the Lanings and to Mrs. Stanhope, carrying the news of the girls' safety and the recovery of the missing houseboat. After that Paul Livingstone saw to it that Pick Loring, Hamp Gouch, and their accomplice, Sculley, were turned over to the proper authorities.
Then the rope was untied, and the rowboat was allowed to drift astern of the larger craft. "Hullo, there!" came suddenly out of the darkness. "What's up back there?" "Who are you calling to, Hamp?" came from the galley. "Something doing back here," answered Hamp Gouch. "Somebody just cut loose from our stern." "What's that?" burst out Dan Baxter, and tumbled out on deck, followed by the others.
Would you go in for half of what was in it?" "Sure." "Trust me," added Gouch. "Say," he went on. "Got any liquor aboard? This rain is beastly." "I guess there is some liquor. We'll hunt around and see." "Ha!" exclaimed Pick Loring. "Say, perhaps you don't know much more about this houseboat than we did about them horses we took." "As you just said, I don't deny it."
We can write to 'em and say we'll starve the girls to death if the money don't come our way." "Exactly. But we've got to find some place to hide first. We can't stay on the river any great length of time. They'll send word about the houseboat from one town to another and the authorities will be on the lookout for us." "I know where you can take this houseboat," put in Hamp Gouch.
"Hang me if I don't admire you!" And he smiled in his coarse way. "Of course you can see the possibilities in this," went on Dan Baxter. "Supposing we can make the Stanhopes and Lanings and Rovers pay over fifty or sixty thousand dollars for the return of the girls. That means a nice sum for each of us." "Right you are," came from Hamp Gouch. "As you say, it beats horse stealing."
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