t us have a look at you. Why, I'll be shot if it isn't
Saunders!"

Saunders, it may be explained, was one of the original crew of the
_Mercury_, and a very quiet, steady, well-conducted fellow. It was
probably for that reason that he had not been chosen to go in the ship
on her projected voyage to China.

I approached the man and stared in his face. Sure enough it was indeed
Saunders; and a very scared as well as somewhat angry appearance he
presented.

"Why, Saunders," I exclaimed in low-pitched accents of surprise, "what
are you doing here in the boat at this time of night? Come, explain
yourself!"

"I will, Mr Troubridge, in half a jiffy, as soon as I've got the feel
of Gurney's grip out of my throat," answered the man. "It's like this,
sir. I've been on this here island long enough to see that Wilde's
ideas won't work. I can see that, accordin' to his plan, I may stay
here all my life and be no better off than I am to-day, 'cause why--the
harder I and others like me works the better it is for a lot of lazy
shirkin' swabs, who've made up their minds that they'll never do a
hand's turn if they can help it. And I don't see no fun in workin' for
skowbanks like that. I've had about enough of it, and I wants to get
away from this here place to somewheres where a man can get the full
value of his labour. So I've kep' my eye on you all day to-day, Mr
Troubridge, on the lookout for a chance to ast you to let me stow myself
away aboard the _Mercury_ until she gets well out to sea, intendin', you
understand, sir, to cut and run at the first port that we touches at.
But I couldn't get the chance to speak to you without bein' seen by them
as I didn't want to see me, so I follered you to-night when you started
out for a walk--as I thought--intendin' to range up alongside of you
when we was well clear of the settlement. And afore I could arrange my
thoughts shipshape, so's to make clear what I wanted, you'd jined George
here and the young lady, and I couldn't help hearin' pretty near all
that was said. Now, sir, I understands that you and Gurney feels pretty
much as I do about Wilde and his notions, and intends to give the lot of
'em the slip by makin' off all alone by yourselves in the ship to-night.
Ain't that it, sir?"

"Well, supposing that we had any such plan, what have you to say about
it?" I returned.

"Only this, sir," answered Saunders, "that I begs you most earnestly to
let me come in with you. It'