ched the
vessels of the squadron. Holland "was done," and the excitement was
ended. Many of them were tired out and cross, and it was a relief to
know that the squadron would go to sea the next morning. During the
rapid run through Holland, Wilton and Perth had found abundant
opportunities to discuss their mischievous scheme of running away with
the Josephine. They had so contrived it that eight of the Knights of the
Golden Fleece had occupied a compartment by themselves in the railway
carriages. As the squadron would arrive at Havre on Friday or Saturday,
no time was to be lost in arranging the details of the precious scheme,
which had been fully explained and assented to by the confederates.

The first point to be gained was to "cut up," so that the whole
twenty-six Knights should be condemned to imprisonment on board the
ship, while the rest of the students, with the instructors, went to
Paris. Mr. Hamblin was still the centre of all their hopes in this
direction; for hazing him would enable them to kill two birds with one
stone. It was a great satisfaction to annoy him, independently of the
result to be gained. Wilton proposed to "keelhaul" him. This was a
barbarous punishment, formerly in use in the English and Dutch navies,
and consisted in dragging the culprit under the keel of the vessel by
ropes attached to the opposite yard-arms. Perth declared that this was
utterly impracticable, and a third suggested that it was only necessary
to "talk" the matter in order to bring down the punishment upon their
anxious heads. Monroe, who always adopted moderate counsels, thought it
would be just as well to frighten the old gentleman out of his wits.
Indeed, all, except Wilton, protested against inflicting any serious
injury upon him. A ducking, or something of that kind, would do him no
harm; but they did not wish to hurt, only to annoy, him.

After supper the students felt a little brighter. Mr. Hamblin was pacing
the deck, as he always did towards evening, and Perth drummed together
his forces to play the first act in the drama. The names of the
twenty-six Knights had been written down on a sheet of paper, and a
dozen of them took position in the waist, with their backs to the
professor. Scarcely had the actors taken their places before the
Josephine's gig came alongside with Captain Kendall, who visited the
ship to receive his instructions from the principal for the next day.

Paul stepped upon deck; but, perceiving th