der the men back to the pumps, and twice did Owen,
acting as spokesman for the rest, refuse; and when Curtis made a step
forward as though to approach him, he said savagely,--

"I advise you not to touch me," and walked away to the forecastle.

Curtis descended to his cabin, and almost immediately returned with a
loaded revolver in his hand.

For a moment Owen surveyed the captain with a frown of defiance; but
at a sign from Jynxstrop he seemed to recollect himself; and, with the
remainder of the men, he returned to his work.

CHAPTER XXIV.

DECEMBER 4th.--The first attempt at mutiny being thus happily
suppressed, it is to be hoped that Curtis will succeed as well in
future. An insubordinate crew would render us powerless indeed.

Throughout the night the pumps were kept, without respite, steadily at
work, but without producing the least sensible benefit. The ship became
so water-logged and heavy that she hardly rose at all to the waves,
which consequently often washed over the deck and contributed their
part towards aggravating our case. Our situation was rapidly becoming as
terrible as it had been when the fire was raging in the midst of us;
and the prospect of being swallowed by the devouring billows was no less
formidable than that of perishing in the flames.

Curtis kept the men up to the mark, and, willing or unwilling, they had
no alternative but to work on as best they might; but, in spite of all
their efforts, the water perpetually rose, till, at length, the men in
the hold who were passing the buckets found themselves immersed up to
their waists and were obliged to come on deck.

This morning, after a somewhat protracted consultation with Walter and
the boatswain, Curtis resolved to abandon the ship. The only remaining
boat was far too small to hold us all, and it would therefore be
necessary to construct a raft that should carry those who could not find
room in her. Dowlas the carpenter, Mr. Falsten, and ten sailors were
told off to put the raft in hand, the rest of the crew being ordered to
continue their work assiduously at the pumps, until the time came and
everything was ready for embarkation.

Hatchet or saw in hand, the carpenter and his assistants made a
beginning without delay by cutting and trimming the spare yards and
extra spars to a proper length. These were then lowered into the sea,
which was propitiously calm, so as to favour the operation (which
otherwise would have been very dif