g him. The rest of you get
our few traps together; tell the ladies to do the same; and let all
muster down at the landing as quickly as possible. I'm off to warn
Dickinson and the rest, and to release the captain and Mr Evelin. Ah!
I may as well take these," as his eye fell upon a brace of revolvers in
Ralli's belt. He withdrew the weapons, hastily examined them by the
light of the lamp to ascertain whether they were loaded or no, found
that they were; and then, repeating his injunctions as to rapidity of
action, he slipped the pistols one into each pocket, opened the door,
and disappeared in the darkness.

Once fairly clear of the house, Bob paused for a minute or two to
collect his thoughts. Then he walked on again toward the large building
in which the men were housed, and on reaching it coolly thrust his head
in at the open door, and looked round as though in search of someone.

"Well, matey, what is it?" asked one of the pirates.

"Is Dickinson here?" inquired Bob boldly.

"I think he is," was the reply. "Yes, there he is, over there. Here,
Dickinson! you're wanted."

"Ay, ay," answered Dickinson. "Who wants me?"

"I do," answered Bob. "_Mr Ralli says you're to shift over at once_."

This was simply a form of words which had been agreed on when Dickinson
paid his midnight visit to the cottage, and meant that the moment for
action had arrived, and that a muster was to be made at the landing-
place.

The sudden summons took Dickinson rather by surprise, though he had been
schooling himself to expect it at any moment; he instantly recovered
himself, however, and rising to his feet with a well-assumed air of
reluctance asked:

"Does he mean that we are to go now--to-night?"

"He said `_at once_,'" answered Bob.

"Oh! very well," growled Dickinson, "I s'pose we must obey orders. Here
you--Tom Poole, Sullivan, Masters"--and he glanced his eye round the
room, apparently hesitating whom to choose, but gradually picking out,
one after the other, all the men who had cast in their lot with our
friends--"muster your kits and then go up to the capstan-house; you've
got to turn-in aboard the battery to-night, my beauties."

The men named, taking their cue from Dickinson, and acting up to
instructions already received, assumed a sulky unwilling demeanour as
they set about the work of packing a small quantity of already carefully
selected clothes in their bags, growling and grumbling at having to turn
out