let us up on deck, Holly."

"Sure. Jerry ain't afraid of us, Mart. He knows we're helpless."

The discouraged Bob led the way up the companion. They reached the deck
with no opposition, and found Jerry and his mates in complete
possession. Up forward, the Kanakas were huddled in an angry but
helpless mass under the rifles of Dailey and Birch, while Borden and
Yorke were just carrying the body of the Scotch engineer into the
forecastle. There was blood on the man's brow and he was heavily ironed,
which proved that he had not gone down without resistance.

The boys stood where they were, watching. Jerry had led one of the
Kanakas to the gangway and was endeavoring to force him to don the
diving outfit. But, although the old quartermaster's face was terrible
in its rage, with his white hair flying free and his blue eyes flashing
fire, the Kanaka stolidly refused, even when Jerry placed his pistol
against the brown chest of the man.

For a moment the boys thought Jerry would murder him, but Birch
intervened with the suggestion that they send down four of the Kanakas
again to see how the wreck lay. To this Jerry assented, as did the
Kanakas themselves, and Dailey sang out that two praus were coming out
of the river toward them.

Jerry at once put Birch in charge of the gangway landing and the four
men who were diving, and without paying any heed to the boys, assembled
his mates for a brief conference, at the ladder.

"No use tryin' to force the Kanakas," declared Yorke. "I know 'em, Shark
Smith, and so do you. They'll never put on that divin' dress, not if we
flogged 'em."

"Yorke's right," spoke up Borden. "Send 'em ashore, Jerry. Send 'em
ashore in the praus, and the engineer with 'em."

"Yes," added Dailey with an oath, and a black look toward the boys. "And
put them two kids ashore, too, Jerry."

"What are you afraid of, mates?" Jerry chuckled and tipped Mart a wink.
"Them lads stay here, mates--hostages, they are. They can't do us no
hurt, and the cap'n won't neither while we hold his son. See? But we'll
send them Kanakas ashore, mates. I'll arrange wi' the Malays to hold the
crowd safe for a couple o' weeks, then we'll be off an' gone to Saigon
in the boats, wi' the treasure."

Mart glanced at Bob, and the boys exchanged a sickly grin. The reason
for old Jerry's clemency now became evident. With Bob in his hands, he
well knew that he was safe from any effort on the part of Captain
Hollinger to retake the ve