ts of the ship, and I expect we
shall be back by nine o'clock with the news that they were well on fire
before we came up."

Percy Adcock, however, was determined, if possible, to go. He was a
favourite among the men, and when he spoke to the bow oar of the gig,
the latter promised to do anything he could to aid him to carry out his
wishes.

"We are to start at daybreak, Tom, so that it will be quite dark when
the boats are lowered. I will creep into the gig before that and hide
myself as well as I can under your thwart, and all you have got to do is
to take no notice of me. When the boat is lowered I think they will
hardly make me out from the deck, especially as you will be standing up
in the bow holding on with the boat-hook till the rest get on board."

"Well, sir, I will do my best; but if you are caught you must not let
out that I knew anything about it."

"I won't do that," Percy said. "I don't think there is much chance of my
being noticed until we get on board the junks, and then they won't know
which boat I came off in, and the first lieutenant will be too busy to
blow me up. Of course I shall get it when I am on board again, but I
don't mind that so that I see the fun. Besides, I want to send home some
things to my sister, and she will like them all the better if I can tell
her I captured them on board some junks we seized and burnt."

The next morning the crews mustered before daybreak. Percy had already
taken his place under the bow thwart of the gig. The davits were swung
overboard, and two men took their places in her as she was lowered down
by the falls. As soon as she touched the water the rest of the crew
clambered down by the ladder and took their places; then Fothergill took
his seat in the stern, and the boat pushed off and lay a few lengths
away from the ship until the heavier boats put off. As soon as they were
under way Percy crawled out from his hiding-place and placed himself in
the bow, where he was sheltered by the body of the oarsmen from
Fothergill's sight.

Day was just breaking now, but it was still dark on the water, and the
boat rowed very slowly until it became lighter. Percy could just make
out the shores of the creek on both sides; they were but two or three
feet above the level of the water, and were evidently submerged at high
tide. The creek was about a hundred yards wide, and the lad could not
see far ahead, for it was full of sharp windings and turnings. Here and
there br