ng noise above, they left him and hurried to the deck.
They found the second mate pushing the stubborn group nearer and
nearer their own quarters. He was backed by only two men armed with
knives and clubs. The gang was hesitating, evidently tempted to turn
upon the tiny group, but with the appearance of Wilson and Danbury
they pressed at once for the narrow opening.

At sight of them Danbury completely lost his head. It was as though he
then first realized what had actually been attempted. He raised his
weapon and was upon the point of shooting into their midst when Wilson
knocked up his hand and sent the revolver spinning across the deck.
But Danbury scarcely looked around to see who had foiled him. He
rushed headlong into the group as though he were the center of a
football team. He struck right and left with his naked fists and
finally by chance fell upon Splinter. The two rolled upon the deck
until the mate stooped and picked up Splinter bodily and, raising him
above his head, fairly hurled him like a bag of grain down the ladder
after the last of the mutineers.

Danbury, in spite of his loss of blood, held himself together
wonderfully. For the next hour all were busy, and between them placed
Splinter in irons, and crowded the mutineers, a cowed lot, into the
forward hold. They found Stubbs still unconscious, but he came around
after a good swig of brandy. He rose to his elbow and blinked dazedly
at Danbury.

"What's the trouble?" he demanded.

"Mutiny," answered Danbury, briefly.

"And me laid up, an' outer it. Jus' my pizen luck," he growled.

CHAPTER XIV

_In the Shadow of the Andes_

As soon as lights were secured an examination of the battle ground was
made. Four men were found, three of them with leg wounds which did no
more than cripple them, and one with a scalp wound made by a grazing
bullet which had knocked him unconscious. There was no surgeon aboard,
but one of the mates had a good working knowledge of surgery and
cleaned and dressed the wounds.

As soon as it was daylight Stubbs had a talk with the mutineers.

"'Course," he informed them, "'course ye knows the medicine ye gets
fer mutiny on the high seas. Every yeller dog of ye can look for'ard
to a prison sentence of twenty years or so. As for Splinter--yer
leader--I can 'member the time I'd ha' had the pleasure er watchin'
him squirm from a yardarm without any further preliminaries. As 'tis,
maybe he'll be 'lowed to think it over