chaps
to do, and we'll do it if it's any way possible."

"How many of you are there?" asked the skipper. "How many, I mean, upon
whom we can absolutely depend. Bear in mind that _no one_ who is not
_thoroughly_ trustworthy is to be let into the secret."

"All right, sir; you trust me for that," answered Dickinson. "For my
own sake--letting alone yours and the ladies'--you may depend on't I
won't let out the secret to the wrong people. Well; let me just reckon
up how many of us there'll be in all. Firstly there's eight of you,
counting in Mr Bowles and Kit, and leaving out the ladies. Then
there's the three other lads and the four men as was brought in with
you, that's seven--seven and eight's--"

"Fifteen," interjected the skipper.

"Thank'ee, sir, I ain't much of a hand at figgers myself, but in course
you're right--fifteen it is," said Dickinson. "Then there's me and Tom
Poole--that's my pertickler mate--promoted he is to the armourer's
berth--and Dick Sullivan and Ned Masters--that's four more, making
fifteen, sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, nineteen--nineteen, ain't it,
sir?"

"Quite right," answered Captain Staunton.

"Then there's the prisoners, as we calls 'em--men, you know, sir, as has
been took out of ships and wouldn't jine the `Brotherhood'--I won't say
much about _them_ just yet, but there's about half a dozen very likely
hands among 'em that I think'll just jump at the chance of getting out
of this. Tom and me'll sound 'em cautious like, and hear what they've
got to say for theirselves."

"Very well," said Captain Staunton. "And in the meantime it seems that
there are nineteen of us, all told, who are to be absolutely relied
upon--quite enough to handle the schooner if we can only manage to get
away with her. Now, what we have to do is this. The ballast and the
water-tanks are already fixed in their places, so that need not trouble
us; but we must contrive to get the tanks filled as early as possible.
Then, as soon as the decks are laid we must get conveyed on board all
the provisions we can possibly manage. Then we shall want arms and
ammunition; the guns too must be hoisted in, under the pretence of
fitting the slides properly. The spars are already commenced. They, or
at least the lower-masts and bowsprit, must be stepped before the craft
is launched; that can easily be managed, I think; the other spars also
should be finished and got on board as early as possible, and likewise
the