Boat-load?" said Poole. "Why, it would take about four journeys, if
not more."

"Very likely," said Fitz. "But there would be hours to do it in."

"And what then?"

"Get everybody on board the schooner and make sail for the north. Get
into Velova Bay, and you could take the town with ease."

"And what about the gunboat?" said Poole.

"Ah! That's the awkward point in my plan. But the gunboat is not
obliged to be there, and even if she were you could take the town if you
managed to get there in the dark; and once you've got the town you could
hold it, even if she knocked the fort to pieces."

"Hum!" grunted the carpenter.

"It'd be a tight fit getting everybody here on board our schooner."

"Nonsense!" said Fitz. "I could get a hundred men on board easily; and
besides, we should all be saved."

"And besides, we should all be saved," said Poole, half aloud. "Yes,
that's true. It does seem possible, after all, for there would be no
defenders hardly left at Velova, and we could fit up a defence of some
kind to keep off the enemy when they found we had gone and old Villarayo
came raging back; and that wouldn't be for another two days. Yes,
there's something in it, if we could dodge the gunboat again."

"Humph!" grunted the carpenter once more. "No; there's a hole in your
saucepan, and all the soup is tumbling out. The enemy is bound to have
some fellows on the watch, and likely enough not a hundred yards from
here, and they would soon find out that we were evacuating the place,
come and take us at a disadvantage, and perhaps shoot the poor fellows
crowded up in the boat. Oh no, my lad; it won't do at all."

"Humph!" grunted the carpenter again.

"Don't you be in such a hurry, Mr Son-of-the-skipper," said Fitz. "I'd
thought of that, and I should keep the enemy from coming on."

"How?" said Poole, rather excitedly now.

"Light three or four watch-fires--quite little ones--and put up a stick
or two amongst the bushes with blankets on them and the Spaniards'
sombrero hats. They'd look at a distance like men keeping the fire, and
we could make these fires so that they would glow till daylight and go
on smoking then; and as long as smoke was rising from these fires, I
believe not one of the enemy would come near until the reinforcements
arrived. And by that time, if all went well, we should be off Velova
Bay."

"Humph!" grunted the carpenter again.

"It won't do, Burnett," said Poole; "it's too ris