s who showed fight last night. Be civil, and you shall be decently
treated, till I set you afloat or ashore, as seems best to me. There,
we only want to say--don't play the fool, and let the doctor and those
passengers think they can do any good by resisting. We don't want to
make any of you bleed. What have you been doing to the door to keep it
from opening? Have it pulled down, and come out like sensible people."

"Don't answer him, sir," said the mate, in a whisper.

"Do you hear?" cried Jarette, savagely. "Open the door, or I'll put a
few pounds of powder up against it and blow it in."

"Come and touch the door," cried the captain, sternly, "and we'll blow
your brains out."

"What?" cried Jarette, mockingly. "You blow my brains out, fool!--what
with?"

"This!" said Mr Denning, sharply, and he thrust the barrel of the
double gun so quickly through one of the openings left, and also through
the narrow slit formed by the partly opened door, that there was the
sound of men scuffling back, and a heavy fall, followed by a roar of
laughter.

We knew the next moment who had fallen, for Jarette's voice came to us
in an angry snarl.

"You grinning idiots," he cried, "take that!"

As he spoke there was the sharp report of a pistol, and a fearful
shriek, followed by a fall, and a low moaning as of some one in agony.

"Serve him right!" cried Jarette. "Take him below. I'll have the
doctor out and send him down."

A minute later, after we had listened to the meaning noise growing
fainter, Jarette spoke again.

"There, Berriman," he said, "that's the stuff I'm made of, so no more
nonsense; open the door and come out."

"Come and open it yourself, you half-French poodle hound," cried the
captain, "and I'll show you what stuff I'm made of, and save you the
trouble of going through a trial before reaching the hangman."

"You bragging idiot," cried Jarette, fiercely, "open the door, or I'll
serve you as we served your miserable Brymer. Do you want to go
overboard to join him?"

"No; Captain Berriman prefers to stay on board to see me pay you back in
your own coin," said the mate. "Now, sir, who's the braggart now?"

Jarette was silenced for the moment, but he recovered himself directly.

"Oh, you're there then?" he cried. "I must punish some of my lads for
only half doing their work. There, you are not so mad as Berriman is.
Never mind the fool; open the door, and don't make me savage, so that I
am tem