but feel that the situation of the mutineers was one full of
peril.

Having taken a careful mental note of everything that I had seen, I
descended the ratlines, and, making my way aft, invited Carter, the
general, and Mr Morton to join me in the main saloon, which happened
just then to be vacant. When we arrived there, I told my companions
what I had seen, and what I feared, and then laid before them a proposal
that I should take the ship's galley--a very fine six-oared boat--and,
with my nine men, and one of the carronades mounted in the bows, go in
search of the missing men. But neither the general nor Morton would
hear of this for a moment. They were quite willing that a boat should
be dispatched to search for the longboat and her crew if the matter
could be arranged, but they very strongly protested against the idea
that I and all my nine fighting men should leave the ship, which, they
pointed out, would be at the mercy of the mutineers if we were to miss
them and if they were to get back before us; or, possibly, which would
be still worse, open to an attack from hundreds of savages should the
natives by any chance have discovered us and observed our helpless
predicament. I was pointing out to them that this stand which they were
taking rendered the idea of a search impossible, since I considered it
neither wise nor prudent to dispatch a weak search party, and that I
could not dream of ordering any of my own men away upon such an
expedition in the command of anyone but myself, when I heard a call on
deck, and the next moment Simpson presented himself at the entrance of
the saloon to say that the longboat was in sight, pulling hard for the
ship, but that, so far as could be made out, there were only five men in
her! Whereupon, with one accord we all dashed out on deck and made the
best of our way to the topgallant-forecastle, which afforded a good view
of the approaching boat. It was now a few minutes past three o'clock,
ship's time.

Arrived on the forecastle, I snatched the telescope from the hands of
the look-out as he flourished the instrument toward the boat, with the
remark:

"There she comes, sir, and the buckos in her seem to be in a tearin'
hurry, too. See how they're makin' the spray fly and the oars buckle!
They're workin' harder just now than they've done for many a long day,
I'll warrant."

Levelling the instrument upon the approaching boat, I saw that, as
Simpson had informed me, there were