longer safe in the hands of his captors; and,
though he had by him but three men of his original crew, he determined
to attempt to recapture the ship.

One evening the captain managed to catch a few minutes' conversation
with the carpenter and boatswain of his own crew, and broached to them
the project for a recapture. No argument was needed to induce these
bold men to embark in the perilous enterprise. Indeed, from the very
moment of the capture, they must have cherished some such purpose; for
each had hidden away in his bunk a gun and bayonet. Barney, on his
part, had secreted a small brass blunderbuss and a broad-sword; and
with this meagre armament the three determined to take the ship from
its captors.

The success of the project then depended upon a favorable opportunity,
and the three conspirators watched eagerly for the decisive moment to
arrive. At last there came a day so squally that all the prize-crew
were kept busy with the sails all the morning. Much exhausted, the
sailors sat down to their dinner on the forecastle at noon, while the
three British officers spread their mess amidships. Barney saw that
the moment had arrived; and, giving the signal to his men, the
plotters went below for their weapons. Barney was the first to
re-appear,--the blunderbuss, loaded and cocked, in his hand, and the
naked cutlass under his arm. Hardly had he stepped on deck when one of
the officers saw him, and, throwing down dishes and dinner, sprang at
the American and grappled with him. Barney struggled violently, and
soon managing to get the blunderbuss against his enemy's shoulder,
fired it, filling the wretch's arm and side with buckshot. Freed from
his adversary, the gallant captain cut down with a blow of his
cutlass the second prize officer, who was advancing upon him; and the
third, seeing his two companions lying, drenched with blood, upon the
deck, ran below. In the mean time the crew, startled from their dinner
by the report of the blunderbuss, had rushed below for their weapons;
but the last man had hardly dived down the hatchway when the wily
carpenter and boatswain rushed forward, clapped on the hatches, and in
a trice had the British sailors nicely cooped up in the forecastle.
The two wounded officers were quickly cared for, and the unhurt
fugitive secured; and Barney found himself again in control of the
ship.

The victors then held a consultation as to their future action. They
controlled the ship, it was tr