off watch,
followed from the galley hatch, and Casey came up from the wireless
room. Each asked questions, but nobody answered at once. There were
eight bound men lying upon the deck, and these must first be released,
which was soon done.

Denman, lying prone with a small pool of blood near his head, was next
examined, and pronounced alive--he was breathing, but dazed and shocked;
for a large-caliber bullet glancing upon the skull has somewhat the same
effect as the blow of a cudgel. He opened his eyes as the men examined
them, and dimly heard what they said.

"Now," said Forsythe, when these preliminaries were concluded, "here we
are, miles at sea, with short store of oil, according to Riley, and a
short store of grub, according to Daniels. What's to be done? Hey? The
man who has bossed us so far hasn't seen this, and is now down in the
wardroom--knocked out by this brass-buttoned dudeling. What are you
going to do, hey?"

Forsythe flourished his pistols dramatically, and glared unspeakable
things at the "dudeling" on the deck.

"Well, Forsythe," said old Kelly, the gunner's mate, "you've pretended
to be a navigator. What do you say?"

"I say this," declared Forsythe: "I'm not a navigator, but I can be. But
I want it understood. There has got to be a leader--a commander. If you
fellows agree, I'll master the navigation and take this boat to the
African coast. But I want no half-way work; I want my orders to go, just
as I give them. Do you agree? You've gone wrong under Jenkins. Take your
choice."

"You're right, Forsythe," said Casey, the wireless man of the starboard
watch. "Jenkins is too easy--too careless. Take the job, I say."

"Do you all agree?" yelled Forsythe wildly in his excitement.

"Yes, yes," they acclaimed. "Take charge, and get us out o' these seas.
Who wants to be locked up?"

"All right," said Forsythe. "Then I'm the commander. Lift that baby down
to the skipper's room with the sick woman, and let them nurse each
other. Lift Jenkins out of the wardroom, and stow him in a forecastle
bunk. Riley, nurse your engines and save oil, but keep the dynamo going
for the wireless; and you, Casey, have you got that message cooked up?"

"I have. All I want is the latitude and longitude to send it from."

"I'll give it to you soon. Get busy, now, and do your share. I must
study a little."

The meeting adjourned. Denman, still dazed and with a splitting
headache, was assisted aft and below to the spar