it,
sharp, or--"

The moment that the fellow was fairly clear of the hatchway, and on the
port side of the deck, I raised my hand to my lips, spat out my cigar,
and sent a single shrill, but not loud, whistle along the deck, and then
sprang straight at my immensely powerful antagonist, while Carter
manfully tackled his own man. And at the same instant the doctor and
Briggs sprang upon the pair who were keeping guard on the forecastle.
As arranged, none of us attempted to do more than just pinion each his
own particular antagonist and prevent him from drawing his weapons,
trusting to the others to help us to master and secure them. And
gallantly those others backed us up, for at the sound of my whistle,
young Acutt--a fine, athletic young giant--dashed out of the cabin and,
without paying any attention to the writhing and struggling quartette in
his way, dodged us and rushed forward to the galley to prevent cookie
from interfering, while Fielder, Boyne, Pearson, and Taylor--the other
four young griffins--rushed with equal celerity to the support of the
doctor, Briggs, Carter, and myself. My own particular man struggled
savagely in his endeavour to free himself from my grasp, and, being a
much heavier and more powerful man than I was, pinned me up against the
rail and threw his whole strength into a determined effort to break my
back, in which effort he would have very speedily succeeded had not
Boyne quickly felled him to the deck and stunned him by a well-directed
blow from an iron belaying-pin. To disarm and securely bind the fellow
was the work of but a minute or two, and then, breathless with our
exertions, and, so far as I was concerned, in considerable pain, Boyne
and I stood up and looked about us to see how the others were faring.
Looking, first of all, near home, we saw Hales pinned up against the
rail, with young Pearson taking his weapons away from him, while Carter
was busily engaged in seizing him up, the general meanwhile standing by
and pointing my drawn sword at his throat to discourage him from any
ill-advised attempt at resistance; while the doctor and Briggs, with the
assistance of Fielder and Taylor, were also busily engaged in securing
their respective men. The ship was ours! and now it only remained for
us to take promptly such steps as were necessary to retain possession of
her when the other mutineers should see fit to return.

The first thing to be done was to release my own men from confin