d the party
from the poop did not come off scathless, Mr Lathrope having his rather
long nose somewhat flattened and almost turned to one side by a blow
from the sledge-hammer fist of one of the mutineers. Mr Meldrum had
also been considerably mauled about, and Frank had a splendid black eye.
As for the first mate, who had gone into the very thick of it, he
"hadn't a sound bone in the howl of his body from the crown of his head
to the sole of his fut"--that is, according to his version of it!

The struggle did not last very long, the opposing forces being so
unequally matched; so, as soon as Frank and his coadjutors had been
borne down by the sheer weight of numbers, their conquerors hustled them
into the corner of the deck under the break of the poop, where the
captain was still lying, throwing them down beside him and telling them
they had better keep quiet now they had had the worst of it, that is if
they valued their lives. It was no empty threat, either; for, the
mutineers emphasised the order by leaving two of their number on guard
over them, with belaying pins in their hands, with which they were told
to "knock them on the head" should they stir or call out--a command
which they looked quite capable of executing.

The gang then proceeded to drag the long-boat to the opening in the
broken bulwarks on the starboard side of the ship and launch her into
the water, for it was a little smoother there on account of being
inclosed like a sort of lagoon between the vessel and the reef. It was
a ticklish job, for an occasional roller swelled into the boat from
round the stern of the ship; while as the waves that broke over the
forecastle and weather quarter of the _Nancy Bell_ washed through the
vessel, they poured like a cascade from the inclined deck, threatened to
swamp the little raft as she lay tossing uneasily alongside until the
mutineers could complete their arrangements for embarkation.

There was not much to do, for, thanks to Captain Dinks' precautions,
provisions and small water casks, or barricoes, had already been stowed
in the bows and along the sternsheets of the long-boat; so, after
chucking in one or two articles which they had brought up from below
beforehand on the sly, amongst which was a good-sized barrel of rum,
they proceeded to drop down into the boat one by one, Moody going first
and the others following until the whole number, a round dozen in all,
had got in--the two who had remained as sen