ster square in the midst of the crockery,
followed by three or four of his watch, stumbling over the bodies of
the overthrown quartette. Langley and myself climbed into a berth and
looked on.

"It's the steward," shouted the mischievous third mate, whose love of
fun could not be controled by fear of consequences; "he tried to stab
the captain with the carving-knife."

The scene now became exciting; the cry of mutiny was heard all over
the vessel; and the skipper and mate hearing it, very naturally
concluding that the mutineers were those who had so unceremoniously
invaded the cabin, turned furiously upon them, and called loudly for
assistance to us in the berth; but we were enjoying the fun too much
to even speak and explain.

"Are ye kilt, cap'n?" asked Teddy, who had pushed his way to his
beloved commander.

"No, you d----d mutinous scoundrel!" replied the enraged skipper,
planting a tremendous blow between the eyes of the anxious
interrogator; "take that!" and the Irishman rolled upon deck. In the
meantime, Mr. Brewster, who had taken an especial spite against the
convict, grabbed him by the throat. Pedro returned the compliment by a
blow in the stomach, and Stewart aided the defeat of his colleague by
taking him by the shoulders and dragging him off. Transported beyond
reason by the pain of the blow he had received, and what he supposed
to be the black ingratitude of Mr. Stewart, Brewster gave a scream of
rage and clinched in with the mate with all his force.

It was fast getting to be past a joke.

"Come, Langley," said I, "let's put a stop to this--somebody will be
killed."

"Sure enough! but how are we going to do it? Oh! here are the mate's
pistols; draw the charges, Frank, and you take one and I the other,
and we'll soon proclaim peace."

"They're not loaded," said I, after trying them with the ramrod.

"All right, then--follow me."

"We jumped down from our roost, leveled our pistols at the crowd, and
threatened to fire if hostilities should not instantly cease on both
sides.

"Langley, hand me those pistols," cried the frenzied skipper, who was
the more angry because nobody would fight with him.

"Please, sir, I can't; I daren't trust myself without 'em. Disperse,
ye rebels! lay down your arms and disperse--die, base and perjured
villain," shouted Langley, holding the muzzle of his pistol to
Brewster's ear, while I, by poking my shooting-iron in everybody's
face, obtained partial order. After