man.

"Wherever you please," replied Little, confidently.

"Suppose they happen to be on deck, and are disposed to take the boat
and carry out the line themselves?"

"So much the better! Thanks to the prudence and good management of the
principal, there are four boats belonging to the Josephine," answered
the little villain, who appeared to have provided for every emergency
which could possibly occur. "The moment the boatswain and carpenter are
clear of the vessel, we will suggest that another line ought to be
carried to some other vessel; and Mr. Carboy will see the necessity of
the measure."

"Perhaps he won't see it," interposed Ibbotson.

"Then I'll fall overboard."

"Fall overboard?"

"Precisely so," replied Little.

"I don't see what that has to do with it," said Herman.

"Don't you? Well, I hope you and Ibbotson would have the courage and
the energy to save me from a watery grave, and all that sort of thing."

"What! jump in after you?" inquired Herman.

"No! How heavy your wits are to-day! You need not dampen your trousers.
Just drop the fourth cutter into the water, pick me up, and then we
will find our way to the shore."

"Some other fellows might take it into their heads to rescue you from a
watery grave, and all that sort of thing," added Herman.

"If they do, so much the better for them. You and Ibbotson must make
sure that you get into the boat, whoever else does. There will be no
officers to bother, unless Perth happens to be left on board. If he is,
all right. He will know what to do. If the other fellows don't want to
go to Paris with us, or rather on their own hook, they can return to
the vessel, and mildly break it to the professor, that we were all
drowned. There will not be a particle of trouble about the business.
There are twenty other ways of managing the case. As soon as the lambs
are off, and we are put on board of the Josephine, we will arrange
everything."

"Perhaps we shall remain in the ship," suggested Herman.

"So much the worse for the ship, for her cable can be unbitted, as well
as the schooner's."

"That's so."

"In the dark, with the ship adrift and liable to be thrown on shore, or
to run afoul of another vessel, there will be a big excitement, and we
can do anything we wish. When the rest of the fellows see what is up,
they can take care of themselves," continued Little, who did not
believe in the possibility of a failure.

"Very well; we will suppose we get o