have served his Royal Highness
the Duke of Cumberland, and got a wound myself at Fontenoy--but I know
my pulse went dot and carry one. "Jim Hawkins is gone," was my first
thought.

It is something to have been an old soldier, but more still to have been
a doctor. There is no time to dilly-dally in our work. And so now I made
up my mind instantly, and with no time lost returned to the shore and
jumped on board the jolly-boat.

By good fortune Hunter pulled a good oar. We made the water fly, and the
boat was soon alongside and I aboard the schooner.

I found them all shaken, as was natural. The squire was sitting down, as
white as a sheet, thinking of the harm he had led us to, the good soul!
and one of the six forecastle hands was little better.

"There's a man," said Captain Smollett, nodding toward him, "new to this
work. He came nigh-hand fainting, doctor, when he heard the cry. Another
touch of the rudder and that man would join us."

I told my plan to the captain, and between us we settled on the details
of its accomplishment.

We put old Redruth in the gallery between the cabin and the forecastle,
with three or four loaded muskets and a mattress for protection. Hunter
brought the boat round under the stern port, and Joyce and I set to work
loading her with powder, tins, muskets, bags of biscuits, kegs of pork,
a cask of cognac, and my invaluable medicine chest.

In the meantime the squire and the captain stayed on deck, and the
latter hailed the coxswain, who was the principal man aboard.

"Mr. Hands," he said, "here are two of us with a brace of pistols each.
If any one of you six make a signal of any description, that man's
dead."

They were a good deal taken aback; and, after a little consultation, one
and all tumbled down the fore companion, thinking, no doubt, to take us
on the rear. But when they saw Redruth waiting for them in the sparred
gallery, they went about ship at once, and a head popped out again on
deck.

"Down, dog!" cried the captain.

And the head popped back again, and we heard no more for the time of
these six very faint-hearted seamen.

By this time, tumbling things in as they came, we had the jolly-boat
loaded as much as we dared. Joyce and I got out through the stern port,
and we made for shore again, as fast as oars could take us.

This second trip fairly aroused the watchers along shore. "Lillibullero"
was dropped again, and just before we lost sight of them behind the
li