Get the plank ready,
boys," said Swinton, turning to the men. "Now stand aside and let the
first mate choose."

The same question being put to the two mates, they returned similar
answers, and were ordered to prepare to walk the plank.

"You don't understand navigation, I fancy, Master Burns," said Swinton
to Paul, "but as you can set broken bones, and things of that sort, we
will spare you if you agree to serve us."

"Thank you," replied Paul, with quiet urbanity. "I prefer to accompany
Master Trench, if you have no objection."

There was a slight laugh at the coolness of this reply, which enraged
the new skipper.

"Say you so?" he exclaimed, jumping up. "Come, then, shove out the
plank, lads, and bring them on one at a time."

"Stop!" cried little Oliver, at this point. "You've forgot _me_."

"No, my little man, I haven't," returned Swinton, with a cynical smile.
"You shall accompany your amiable father; but first I'll give you a fair
chance," he added, in a bantering tone: "will _you_ navigate the ship?"

"Yes, I will," answered Oliver promptly.

"Indeed!" exclaimed the new skipper, taken aback by the boy's boldness,
and at a loss for a reply.

"Yes, indeed," retorted Oliver, "only put me in command, with an auger,
and I'll navigate the ship to the bottom of the sea, with you and all
your cowardly crew on board of her!"

"Well said, little master," cried Grummidge, while a general laugh of
approval went round.

Seeing that there was a symptom of better feeling among some of the men,
Master Trench was about to make an appeal to them, when--

"Land ho!" was shouted by the look-out in stentorian tones.

CHAPTER TWO.

THE ADVENTURERS LAND ON THE ISLAND.

The excitement caused by the sight of land was tremendous. Nearly every
one ran to the bow or leaped on the bulwarks, and the prisoners were
left unguarded.

Seeing this, Grummidge quietly cut their bonds unobserved, and then
hurried forward to gaze with the rest. Even the man at the tiller left
his post for a moment to get a better view of the land. On returning,
he found Master Trench occupying his place, and Paul Burns standing
beside him with a handspike in his grasp. Oliver had also armed himself
with a marlinespike in default of a better weapon.

"Go for'ard, my man," said the skipper, in a quiet voice, "an' tell your
mates to get ready the anchor and stand by the cable. Haste ye, if you
value life."

The man slunk away witho