hem; eh, messmates?"

"In an or'nary way, Joe," said Harry Briggs.

"Well, this is an or'nary way, messmate."

"Nay; I call this a 'stror'nary one."

"Well, speak out, messmate, and say what you mean."

"Well, same as you do, Joe, only I put it a little different. Win or
lose, I'd go in for tackling three of them in an or'nary way, but I says
this is a 'stror'nary one, and you may put me down for six, and if I get
the worst of it, well, that'll be a bit of bad luck. But anyhow I'd
try."

"And so say all of us," came from the rest.

"Well," said Joe, laughing, "I never knew afore that I was the most
modest chap in our crew."

"Oh, I have no doubt about your courage, my lads," said the doctor, "nor
that my nephew here, though he is a boy, will fight like a man; but if
we are to do any good we must work with method against such great odds.
So now, Cross, let us hear what you propose to do."

"Try again, sir--in the dark--and play a bit artful."

"But how?" cried Rodd eagerly.

"Well, I'll tell you, Mr Rodd. I proposes that we just show ourselves
once or twice towards evening, and then make a dash right across the
river to hide again among the trees. That'll set 'em all thinking and
asking one another what our game's going to be. Then we will lie up
till it's dark, up with the grapnel, and steal quietly down the river,
keeping pretty close to the trees, till we are about opposite the enemy,
and then we'll make a mistake."

"Make a mistake?" said Rodd. "I don't understand you."

"Well, sir, I aren't done yet. What I mean is, have an accident like;
one of us sneeze, or burst out a-coughing, and me break out into a
regular passion, calling him as coughed a stoopid lubber and a fool for
showing the enemy where we are. It will be best for me to be him as
coughs or sneezes, and do it all myself so as not to have any muddle
over it. Then I shouts out, `Pull for your lives, boys--pull!' And we
makes no end of splashing as we goes on down the river, and all the time
as supposing that it's going to be dark enough so as they can't fire at
us. Then it seems to me, Dr Robson, sir, that the enemy will say to
theirselves, `They want to get out to sea, and they are gone,' while as
soon as we have got a bit lower down we'll lie up under the trees and
wait till about an hour before daylight, and all as quiet and snug as so
many rats. They'll think they have got rid of us, and all the while we
shall be waiting our