t? You
won't?"

"No," said Walters, quickly. "They've got a spite against me, and will
shoot me. Let some one else."

Jarette uttered a fierce ejaculation.

"Stand aside then," he growled, "and let some one who is a man do it.
Here, any one of you come and plant this powder, and show young Walters
here how brave lads fight."

We listened full of excitement for the next moment, as every one watched
Mr Denning standing there close to the opening in the barricade, his
arms and the gun invisible as he reached through toward the saloon-door.
But there was perfect silence, not a movement to be heard, as Jarette
burst into a nasty harsh laugh.

"Don't all want to do the job?" he cried. "Not one to volunteer? Why,
you laugh at me, and call me Frenchy, and brag about your English pluck,
and not one man will come forward. Here you, Bob Hampton, your trick's
over at the wheel; come and lay this powder."

"What, to blow in the cabin-door?" came in familiar tones. "All right,
skipper; only I don't know much about powder to make trains. You wet
in, don't wild-fire on it?"

"Bah! stand aside. Here you, Blane, lay that powder close up door."

"What me, skipper? Anything in going aloft and settin' sail; but I know
no more about gunpowder than a babby."

"Get out of the way, idiot. Where's Dumlow?"

"Which here I be," growled that individual.

"Here, lay hold of this powder, and plant it, my lad, and then lay a
train."

"Take that there powder and lay a train?" said the big sailor.

"Yes."

"Not me."

"What! You dare--" cried Jarette.

"Lookye here, skipper," growled Dumlow, "don't you get poking that there
pestle in my face, 'cause it might go off."

"Yes, and it will go off," cried Jarette. "I mean to be obeyed by this
crew, as I've just shown you."

"Nay, but don't poke pestles in my face; 'cause it make me hit out, and
when I hits out I hurts. You ask some one else."

"Bah!" ejaculated Jarette; and the word sounded like the short, sharp
bark of some cur, as it reached us through the barricade.

"Goin' to plant it yourself?" said Bob Hampton.

"Yes, you brave Englishman," sneered Jarette. "I'm going to show you
what your captain can do."

"Shoot the scoundrel!" said Captain Berriman, excitedly.

"Impossible, without he comes into sight," whispered Mr Denning.

"Can't you see him?"

"No; he is pushing a bag of powder right in up against the door, and now
sprinkling handfuls of powder up