dy. She recovered herself instantly.
She clutched my lapels, and laid down the law to me.

"There must be no fighting. The men must not come aft," said she. "If
they do, it will ruin everything. Boy, you must stop them. Deakin
will help you. You must hold them back."

I shook my head. "It's too late," I informed her. "They will not
listen to the parson, or me; they are too afraid."

"But they must be stopped!" she cried.

"Only one man can stop them--and that's Newman, himself," I replied.

"What time have they set?" she asked, quickly.

"Next eight bells," I told her. "We gave the skipper's spy to
understand it was timed for four o'clock in the morning; but the lads
really mean to make the rush at midnight."

"Then we have time," was her verdict. "And you must help me."

She pointed to the deck. My eyes followed her gesture, and for the
first time I examined the floor of the room. The first thing my gaze
encountered was a large carpenter's auger, or brace and bit; the next
thing I saw, was a pattern of holes in the floor. There were two rows
of them, parallel, each about eighteen inches long, and the same
distance apart. The holes overlapped each other, and made a continuous
cut in the deck.

The lady thrust out her hands, palms up, for my inspection. Upon each
palm was a great red blister.

"I was nearly despairing," said she, "I could longer press down hard
enough. But now----"

She did not need to explain. The sight of the holes and the auger told
me enough to set me to work instantly. Aye, I grabbed up the tool and
turned to with a song in my heart and the strength of Hercules in my
arms. There was after all a chance to save my friend, and it depended
in part upon my haste and strength. A chance to save him without
murder.

The lady locked the door, and came and sat down beside me. While I
worked she explained the plot behind the task. She talked eagerly,
without reserve; it helped her, eased her mind, I think, to unload into
my ears.

I was boring my way to Newman. My task was to connect the two rows of
holes already bored through the deck with two other rows; when I was
finished there would be an opening in the deck some eighteen inches
square. A manhole to the lazaret below, where lay Newman.

But this was not all. She told me there was a scheme to free her and
him completely from the captain and the ship. Well, I had guessed
something like that was in the wind; but I