ell--now you men at the foot of the ladder
take care of this big nigger we're sending down; no, he is not dead,
only stunned. Let him have a bucket of water, and he'll be all right.
Now stand aside while a few of your friends join you; they'll tell you
what's up. Make room there?"

We passed the forecastle scum down one after the other, and as the
last of these merged into the scarcely distinguishable mass below, I
gave vent to a sigh of relief, and straightened up, with pistol still
grasped in my hand. They were now bunched together, all of them, and
confined where they would prove the least possible danger. Desperate
and reckless as many of them were, we had them now safely in our own
hands--disarmed and imprisoned within narrow limits. To be sure they
might wreck the bark by fire, or otherwise, but that would only peril
their own lives, and, no matter how willing some might be to accept
this hazard of fortune, there would be more to oppose the
proposition--forcibly, if necessary. For them to escape the only means
was through treachery, and against that possibility I must guard. I
knew little of the men who had responded to my call, and chosen me as
leader. Some among them I could trust, but others were merely with me
while I retained power--would desert at the first doubt. I must rely
on the judgment of Watkins as to whom among them I could safely depend
upon, and suspicion and watch the rest. It was no pleasant position,
yet success thus far had come so easily the knowledge was no
discouragement.

"When we goin' ter be fed?" yelled a voice from below.

"Presently," I answered. "As soon as the cook has it ready. Shove the
hatch cover back into place, lads--yes it will be safer fastened down;
they'll get air enough through treachery, and against that possibility
I must caged."

Satisfied that every precaution had been taken, and ignoring the
indignant roar of voices which greeted this order, I watched the men
shift the heavy hatch cover into place, and then permitted my eyes to
survey the deck, as I hastily considered our next action.

CHAPTER XXII

THE CREW DECIDES

Except that many of the men remained armed there was no suggestion of
violence visible, no reminder of the fact that we were mutineers. But
for the gleaming carronade trained on the main hatch, and the small
group of gunners clustered about it, the scene was peaceable enough,
resembling the deck of some merchant ship. The bark held steadi