the midshipmen by healthy discipline now. Therefore I'll instruct the
lieutenants to spread-eagle every midshipman for twelve hours. There's
a stiff wind; there's a good stout spray, and the wind and spray should
cool their hot souls. Meanwhile, though without food, they shall have
water as they need it. If at the end of the twelve hours any still seems
to be difficult, give him another twelve. Look!"

He stretched out a hand to the porthole on his right. "Far away in front
are islands. You cannot see them yet, but those little thickening
mists in the distance mean land. Those are the islands in front of
the Windward Passage. I think it would be a good lesson for the young
gentlemen to be spread-eagled against the mists of their future. It
shall be' done at once; and pass the word why it's done."

An hour later there was laughter in every portion of the ship, for the
least popular members of the whole personnel were being dragooned into
discipline. The sailors had seen individual midshipmen spread-eagled
and mastheaded, while all save those they could bribe were forbidden to
bring them drink or food; but here was a whole body of junior officers,
punished en masse, as it were, lashed to the rigging and taking the wind
and the spray in their teeth.

Before the day was over, the whole ship was alive with anticipation,
for, in the far distance, could be seen the dark blue and purplish
shadows which told of land; and this brought the minds of all to the end
of their journey, with thoughts of the crisis near.

Word had been passed that all on board were considered safe--all except
the captain who had manoeuvred them to the entrance of the Caribbean
Sea. Had he been of their own origin, they would not have placed so much
credence in the rumour; but coming as he did of an ancient Irish family,
although he had been in jail for killing, the traditional respect for
the word of a gentleman influenced them. When a man like Ferens, on the
one hand, and the mutineer whose fingers had been mutilated by Dyck in
the Channel, on the other--when these agreed to bend themselves to the
rule of a usurper, some idea of Calhoun's power may be got.

On this day, with the glimmer of land in the far distance, the charges
of all the guns were renewed. Also word was passed that at any moment
the ship must be cleared for action. Down in the cockpit the tables
were got ready by the surgeon and the loblolly-boys; the magazines were
opened, and the