Lloyd--otherwise "Welshy"--entered. And behind
him, ranged up athwart the deck outside, were to be seen a number of the
seamen, each with a rifle in his hand and a cutlass girt about his
waist. It was evident that the mutineers had lost no time in hunting up
the ship's arm chest--at that time an almost obsolete item of a ship's
equipment--and providing themselves with the means of effectually
suppressing anything in the nature of resistance on our part, or an
attempt to recapture the ship.

"Good a'ternoon, gen'lemen," observed "Welshy", with a grin that might
indicate either triumph or an attempt at ingratiation; "splendid weather
for a boat trip, ain't it? I'm come to cast yer loose, and I dare say
ye'll be much obliged to me--for it can't be very comfortable to sit
there, hour a'ter hour, with your feet lashed together and your hands
tied behind your backs; but, ye see, we agreed as it was best to take no
risks, and then there'd be no call for bloodshed--I dare say you all
understands what I means. Yes,"--as he proceeded to cast off the
skipper's lashings--"I've come to cast ye all adrift. But let me warn
ye all not to dream of attemptin' anything foolish, for we've got the
ship and we means to keep her; and them rifles is all loaded with ball
cartridge, and the men as carries 'em'll shoot to kill if e'er a one of
'em sees any of you doin' what you didn't ought to do. You understand,
Cap'n? And you, Mr Mate? And the rest of yer?"

At these pointed questions we severally intimated that we understood,
for indeed we could do nothing else. Whereupon the glowering scoundrel
resumed:

"That's all right, and just as it should be. We ain't none of us got
nothin' against e'er a one of yer, and we don't want to have no
vi'lence, if it can be helped--and there won't be none onless you
yourselves brings it about. But if you does--well, stand clear, that's
all I got to say. Now, we bein' all agreed that we don't want no
vi'lence nor bloodshed nor nothin' in any ways disagreeable, and also
bein' agreed that we prefers to have this here ship all to our own
selves, it have been decided to send you gents, and the ladies and
gen'lemen aft, away in the longboat, to go just exac'ly where you
bloomin' well likes. There's twenty-eight of yer, all told, includin'
the women and kids; and the longboat'll just comfortably hold yer all,
with provisions and water for three weeks. Our new skipper, Cap'n
Bainbridge, says that in