you are!"
as that individual poked his head up through the fore-scuttle to see
what was going on, his still working jaws betraying that he too had been
disturbed during the process of consuming the midday meal. "Just look
into the boat, Luis, my son, and see that the oars and baler are in her,
while Miguel and I unship the gangway. Can you still see him, Senor
Courtenay?"

"Yes," I replied, "he is still there, but a long way off now. I think I
had better keep my eye on him, and direct you by an occasional wave of
the hand, as you pull down, or you will have a job to find him."

"Thank you," answered Dominguez; "if it will not be troubling you too
much I shall be greatly obliged."

"Oh, no trouble at all," responded I. "I should stand here to watch the
fun in any case."

Dominguez and Miguel soon managed, between them, to unship the gangway,
which done, they lifted the boat--a mere dinghy--out of her chocks on
top of the main hatchway, slued her bows round toward the gangway, and
ran her over the side, fisherman fashion, the three of them immediately
jumping in and shoving off from the felucca's side; Dominguez, who
steered the boat, looking round at me from time to time for directions
as to the way in which he was to head the boat.

Released now from the scrutiny of the Spaniard's eyes, it was no longer
necessary for me to maintain that painful self-restraint which had cost
me so severe an effort in order that I might not by look or gesture
arouse the ghost of a suspicion as to my intentions; so, while I
continued to mechanically wave the boat to the right or the left, as
circumstances demanded, I now gave my mind to the task of determining
the details of my proposed line of action.

To begin with, I was fully resolved that Dominguez and his companions
having left the felucca, they should never again return to her, if I
could possibly prevent it. At the right moment I would make sail upon
the little craft and head her for Barbadoes, leaving them to get ashore
as best they could. And here my conscience pricked me a little, for I
had already had experience of a voyage in an open boat, and knew what it
meant. On the other hand, however, my life was at stake; for it had by
this time become perfectly apparent to me that unless I could raise the
sum of ten thousand pounds demanded by Dominguez--which was a simple
impossibility--that individual would most certainly deliver me over to
Morillo; in which case there