ed
since the moment of their separation; and when it came to Ned's turn he
was, as may be supposed, especially eloquent upon the subject of the
treasure which he had discovered. His description of the contents of
the cave, together with the exhibition of the pearls and precious stones
already secured, made a profound impression upon his hearers, who fully
agreed with him that such vast possibilities of wealth were not to be
lightly abandoned. How to secure it was, however, the question--a
question which Ned solved the moment he set eyes upon the _Petrel_. He
proposed that she should at once be completed and launched, and that,
whilst the rest of the party should effect a leisurely removal of
themselves and whatever they wished to take with them on board the
_Flying Cloud_, he, with Manners, should proceed in the cutter to Refuge
Harbour, and, watching their opportunity, run in during the night,
secure the treasure, and leave again next morning--as they could easily
manage to do--before the pirates could gain an idea of their being at
hand. It was a risky thing to attempt, certainly, though not nearly so
risky as it at first sight appears; and after a full and exhaustive
discussion of the chances for and against success the bold scheme was
agreed to.

Accordingly, on the following morning all hands went to work with a
will; and they laboured to such good purpose that the last finishing
touches were put to the little craft on the Friday following, leaving
nothing to be done on the Saturday but the actual launching, and such
trimming of the ballast as might be found necessary when she was afloat.
The launch was effected successfully, the ceremony of christening being
performed by little Lucille; and, it being found when the craft was
afloat that only a very trifling alteration was necessary in the
distribution of the ballast, the alteration was at once made, after
which all hands repaired on board, sail was made, and they went outside
to try the cutter's paces. The result was more than satisfactory--it
was a delightful surprise; for not only in her sea-going powers but also
in the qualities of speed and weatherliness did the _Petrel_ far exceed
the most sanguine anticipations of everybody, including her designer.
They worked to windward for about three hours and then returned to the
harbour, where the remainder of the day was spent in getting on board
the provisions, water, and other necessaries for the projected trip