in their boats, if they
like."

"Not so," said I. "If this scheme is undertaken at all, I should
certainly do it effectually. Take their boats away, and burn the brig,
and here they must remain prisoners for a considerable time at least;
for this island is quite out of the route of all honest craft, ourselves
perhaps excepted."

"Better and better still!" exclaimed Bob, in high glee. "Now, I never
should ha' thought of that, because, somehow, it seems cruel and
unnat'ral like to burn sich a beauty of a craft as that there brig; but
it's the proper plan, Hal--there's no doubt of that. We two _couldn't_
take care of both the brig and the cutter in anything but the very
finest of weather; and it's better to burn the craft, beauty as she is,
than that them villains should misuse her to rob and murder honest
seamen, and do worse to their wives and darters. Curse 'em! I shan't
forget in a hurry that poor young thing as we see lying dead in the
cabin of that American ship; and I'd burn the finest craft as ever was
launched, afore they should have the chance to commit another sich a
piece of devilish villainy. Now, Harry, lad, mind me, we _do_ this here
little piece of work. You've got hold of the eend of the right coil of
idees, and I can see as your heart's set upon it; and I, Robert
Trunnion, am the man as'll back ye up in it through thick and thin, and
there's my hand upon it. You get well and strong as fast as you knows
how, and I'll go aloft there every day, and keep my eye upon 'em all day
long, and see what 'tis they intends doing; and the first chance we has,
mark me, the job's _done_. Now, let's blow the light out, and get a
good night's sleep upon it."

Bob suited the action to the word, and in less than ten minutes I had
auricular evidence that, as far as the sleep was concerned, he was
carrying his precept most thoroughly into practice.

On the following morning, as soon as breakfast was over, Bob and I set
off up the ravine, my companion providing himself with our best
telescope, a few biscuits, and a flask of weak grog, as it was his
intention to remain on the summit of the mountain the entire day,
watching the motions of the pirates, unless he happened to see anything
rendering an earlier return advisable.

I did not feel quite so easy in my mind as Bob did with regard to the
chances of a boat being detached to examine the island, and, in such an
event, of our cove escaping detection; so I arrang