a great crisis in their lives, and the voice of the singer quavered
the merest trifle. Another moment, and the second mate was among them,
his eyes flashing with anger and his colt uplifted to strike.

"What the deuce?"

Before he could utter another word, his legs were cut from under him by
the sweeping blow of a handspike, and he fell with a crash to the deck,
the back of his head striking so violently on the planking as to
momentarily stun him. In an instant a belaying-pin was thrust between
his teeth and secured there with a lashing of spun-yarn; and then,
before he had sufficiently recovered to realise his position, he was
turned over on his face, his arms drawn behind him, and his wrists and
ankles firmly lashed together.

"Very neatly managed," remarked Talbot approvingly, as his gaze rested
on the prostrate figure on the deck. "Now, mates, what's the next move?
Come, Ned," to the boatswain, "you're to be our new skipper, you know;
give us your orders, cap'n, and we'll be `yours obejently.'"

"Well, then, if you're all agreed upon that, shipmates, my first order
is for one of you--you Tom--to go aft into the saloon and knock at the
`old man's' door [Note 1], and ask him to come on deck at once, as Mr
Thomson have met with a haccident. Two more of you'll wait for him
outside the door, and when he steps out 'pon deck sarve him the same as
you've sarved our respected friend here. Then do the same with Mr
Nicholls (the chief mate)."

These orders were so skilfully executed, that in a quarter of an hour
the mutineers had the captain and his two _aides_ prisoners--bound and
helpless in their hands, without the slightest alarm having been given
to the other occupants of the saloon. The larboard watch was then
called; and from their first eager questions when aroused it became
evident that the seizure of the ship was a carefully planned affair, of
which all in the forecastle were fully cognisant.

The seamen having paraded on deck, and been, with the aid of a lantern,
carefully inspected by the boatswain to ascertain that there were no
recreant spirits among them now that the crisis had arrived, each man--
excepting a half-dozen left in charge of the deck--was provided with a
short length of well-stretched ratline, carrying which, they proceeded
in a body to the saloon, and, entering the state-rooms, surprised in
their sleep and secured without difficulty the whole of the male
passengers, pinioned them firmly