er," expostulated Adams. "I ain't got
nothin' against you, and I don't want to hurt yer if I can help it, but
s'help me! I'll have to shove that there gag back into yer mouth if you
don't clap a stopper on that tongue of yours. Ah, here comes cooky with
the grub!" he announced, with a sigh of relief, as the "Doctor" made his
appearance at the door with a well-loaded tray.

The picture which that tray presented was conclusive evidence that,
whatever might be the ultimate intentions of the mutineers toward us,
they did not mean to starve us to death, for the breakfast that was
placed before us consisted of the best that the steward's pantry could
produce. And we all did the fullest justice to it, even the skipper
making a hearty meal, although I believe it was not so much because he
had a good appetite as that he had a very shrewd suspicion of what lay
before him, and was exceedingly doubtful as to when he would next have
the opportunity to sit down to a good, well-cooked meal. As for me, I
was healthily hungry, and was altogether too young and of too sanguine a
temperament to feel very anxious as to what was to be the outcome of the
adventure; moreover, I was unburdened by responsibility of any sort, and
I therefore ate and drank until I was fully satisfied.

We were still busy with our breakfasts when an alteration in the motion
of the ship apprised us all of the fact that the helm had been put up,
and that we were now running off with the wind on our port quarter; and
the next moment we heard a voice, which I instantly recognised as
Bainbridge's, summoning the men to the braces. The yards were trimmed
very nearly square, then came an order to loose, sheet home, and hoist
away the topgallantsails and royals; next the men who had gone aloft to
loose those sails were ordered to rig out the port studdingsail-booms
and to set the royal and topgallant studdingsails on their way down; and
finally the topmast and lower studdingsails were set, and the _Zenobia_
went rolling and wallowing away to the westward under every rag that
could be packed upon her.

No remark was made upon this so long as the man Adams remained with us;
but when at length we had finished our breakfast, had reluctantly
submitted to be trussed up again--because we could not help ourselves,
and nothing could be gained by offering an unavailing resistance--and
were once more shut in and left to ourselves, the skipper turned to Mr
Bligh and remarked: