that'll purvent us."

"Ah! I think I now understand you," said I, with an involuntary shudder
of horror as the scoundrel's meaning at last burst upon me, and I
thought of the dainty, delicately-nurtured girl by my side; "we picked
you up, and saved your lives; and now you are about to repay our
kindness by turning pirates and taking the ship from us. Is that it?"

"By the piper! ye couldn't have guessed it thruer if ye'd been guessin'
all day," answered O'Gorman coolly.

"My lads," exclaimed I, appealing to the group of seamen standing behind
the Irishman, "is this true? Is it possible that you really contemplate
repaying this lady and myself for what we have done for you, with such
barbarous ingratitude?"

The men shuffled uneasily, looked at one another, as though each hoped
that his fellow would accept the invidious task of replying to my
question; and presently Price, the carpenter, spoke:

"Ay, sir; it is true. We are sorry if it is not to your liking, but we
have very particular business in the Pacific, and there we must go.
This is just our chance; we shall never have a better; and we should be
fools if we did not take it, now that it has come in our way."

"Very well," said I bitterly; "you are sixteen men, while I am one only;
if you are absolutely resolved to perpetrate this act of monstrous
ingratitude I cannot prevent you. But I positively refuse to help you
in any way whatever--you have no power or means to compel me to do
that--so the best plan will be for us to part; this lady and I will take
the boat, with sufficient provisions and water to enable us to reach
Table Bay, and you may find your way round the Horn as best you can."

O'Gorman simply laughed in my face.

"Take the boat, is it?" he exclaimed, with a loud guffaw. "Oh no,
misther; that won't do at all at all. We shall want the boat for
ourselves. And we shall want your help, too, to navigate the brig for
us, and we mane to have it, begor'ra!"

"I fail to see how you are going to compel me to do anything that I may
resolve _not_ to do," retorted I, putting a bold face upon the matter,
yet momentarily realising more clearly how completely we were in their
hands, and at their mercy.

"You do?" exclaimed O'Gorman; "then wait till I tell ye. If ye don't
consint to do as we want ye to, we'll just rig up a bit of a raft, and
send ye adrift upon her--_alone_; d'ye understand me, misther--_alone_!"

"No," interposed Miss Onslow, "you