ated the captain, turning to Berrington, who had come on
deck at the moment. "I never went higher up the river than this point,
for, just ahead, there are reeds enough to stop the screw of a three
thousand ton ship, but if you'll get your diving-dresses ready I'll try
it. It would be much better to bring our big guns to bear on them than
to attack in boats."

"I'll have 'em ready directly," said Edgar. "Perhaps we'd better stop
the engines now."

"Just so; stop them."

The engines were stopped, and the gun-boat glided slowly over the still
water until it came to rest on its own inverted image.

Meanwhile the air-pump was rigged, and Joe Baldwin put on his dress, to
the great interest and no little surprise of the Malay crew.

"Ready, sir," said Edgar, when Joe sat costumed, with the helmet at his
side and his friends Rooney and Maxwell at the pumps.

"Go ahead, then--full steam," said the captain.

Just in front of the vessel the river was impeded quite across by a
dense growth of rank reeds and sedges; a little further on there was
clear water. Into this the gun-boat plunged under full steam.

As was expected, the screw soon became choked, and finally stopped. Had
the pirates expected this they would probably have made a vigorous
attack just then. But the danger, being so obvious, had never before
been incurred, and was therefore not prepared for or taken advantage of
by the pirates. Nevertheless the captain was ready for them if they had
attacked. Every man was at his station armed to the teeth.

The moment the boat began to work heavily Joe's helmet was put on, and
when she came to a stand he went over the stern by means of a
rope-ladder prepared for the purpose.

"Be as active as you can, Joe. Got everything you want?" said Edgar,
taking up the bull's-eye.

"All right, sir," said Joe.

"Pump away," cried Edgar, looking over his shoulder.

Next moment Joe was under water, and the Malays, with glaring eyes and
open mouths, were gazing at the confusion of air-bubbles that arose from
him continually. From their looks it seemed as though some of them
fancied the whole affair to be a new species of torture invented by
their captain.

Joe carried a small hatchet in his girdle and a long sharp knife in his
hand. With these he attacked the reeds and weeds, and in ten minutes or
less had set the screw free. He soon reappeared on the rope-ladder, and
Edgar, who had been attending to his lines, remo