oot and gagged, so that we could neither move
nor talk, I endeavoured to beguile the time by asking myself who was
responsible for the seizure of the ship, and then trying to find an
answer to the question." And forthwith I proceeded to give a resume of
the cogitations which had ultimately led to my fixing the blame for the
affair upon Bainbridge's shoulders. In the course of my remarks I
happened to mention that at first I had been inclined to suspect the man
nicknamed "Welshy", but that I had soon come to the conclusion that the
fellow had not the brains necessary to plan such a _coup_ and carry it
out to a successful conclusion in the masterly manner which had
distinguished the actual operation.

"Ah! but `Welshy' was in it, though," cut in the boatswain. "I know he
was; for he and Bainbridge was for ever gettin' away together by
theirselves and talkin' by the fathom. `Welshy' is one of these here
Socialist buckos who's got the notion that all hands ought to be on the
same level, and that nobody ought to have more of anything than anybody
else; he's a rare hand at preachin' about equality and the rights o'
man, is `Welshy', and I wouldn't be a bit surprised if it turned out
that 'twas he as first give Mr Bainbridge the idee of seizin' the ship.
And even if he wasn't, I know that he is pretty well mixed up in it,
for he was everlastin'ly yarnin' about the hardships and wrongs of
sailormen, and throwin' out hints, like. I didn't take no notice of 'em
at the time--in fac' Chips and I used to argufy with and laugh at him;
but now, since this here mutiny job have happened, I seem to see that
all his talk had a purpose, and that he was feelin' around, like, with
the idee of findin' out how many of us might be depended upon to back up
him and Bainbridge in the seizure of the ship."

"And it would appear that he was successful in winning over all hands
except you three," remarked the skipper. "Did he ever attempt to sound
either of you?"

"Ay, that he did, sir; lots o' times, now that I comes to think of it,"
answered the boatswain. "But nothin' what you might call definite, you
understand. I s'pose he pretty soon saw that Chips and Sails and me
weren't likely to have any truck wi' such an idee as mutiny and seizin'
the ship, so he soon knocked off talkin' to us about it. I reckon that
he used to report to Bainbridge pretty often, tellin' him what he had
said, and how we had took it; and I expect it was Mr B. who