parently hurried by some extreme apprehension of terror.
Three of them I recognised as the captain, mate, and carpenter, and the
others were men noted as their allies and firm friends. They had
already lowered the boat nearly to the water; and just as I looked over
the taffrail I heard the plash, as her keel dipped into the sea. I saw
that there were some articles--the compass, with charts, and a few other
things like boxes or barrels--already lying in the boat; but as yet none
of the men had got into her.

On glancing at those who were around, I perceived that my friend was not
among them; and I was turning to go back towards the main-deck, when all
at once the six men who had lowered the gig--I now saw there were but
six--passed suddenly over the taffrail, and gliding down the
davit-tackle, dropped into the boat.

Surely, thought I, they are not going to row off without their full
complement of twelve? That was the understanding, and it was further
agreed that all hands should help in lowering the long-boat before the
gig should be launched; the latter, being small and light, could be got
into the water in a few seconds of time, and half-a-dozen men would be
enough; whereas, launching the great long-boat, getting her over the
bulwarks, and then lowering her safely into the sea, was a work that
required both time and the help of all hands.

That all were to assist in it had been specially arranged, in the
hurried consultation which had been held after the cry had arisen, "To
the boats!"

No doubt that those now engaged about the long-boat supposed that all
hands were there; for in a crowd of forty men the absence of five or six
is not readily noticed, and, as it was no longer daylight, the faces of
none could be easily distinguished. The mate and captain would not have
been missed more than any others. Their authority existed no longer,
and their silly behaviour in belabouring the cook, when they should have
been using the time to better advantage by endeavouring to stifle the
fire, had led to the belief that both were "half-seas over," and,
therefore, no attention had been afterwards paid to any orders from
either of them.

It was they and the four men with them I had observed passing abaft as I
was looking for Ben, and I thought at the time that they were skulking,
as if they did not wish to be seen!

As I stood upon the poop, this conjecture was confirmed. The six were
evidently about to steal the gig a