d, and
dashed off again without saying a word. The youngster was reluctant to
display the weapons, for he was by no means sure that the sight of them
would produce the desired effect. Yet there seemed to be no
alternative, for the little band of men below--some eight or ten in
number--were evidently determined to force the passage of the ladder.
He therefore pointed both weapons straight at the group as he shouted:

"Halt there, you men! If you dare to move another step, I'll shoot.
What do you mean by your outrageous conduct, pushing and hustling your
way violently through a crowd of helpless women and children in that
brutal fashion? You wouldn't do it if any of them belonged to you, and
I am surprised that the husbands and fathers put up with it. Call
yourselves Englishmen? Pah! I'm ashamed of you. You make me sick!"

Dick's appeal to the husbands and fathers of those whom the gang had
been hustling so roughly was a happy inspiration, and produced an
immediate effect, the said husbands and fathers at once raising their
voices in remonstrance, while the women also joined in, with the result
that a heated altercation quickly ensued which threatened to speedily
develop into a free fight. But that was only a shade less desirable
than the other, wherefore, slipping his revolvers into his pockets, Dick
intervened.

"Now then, below there, none of that!" he shouted. "I'll allow no
fighting. The first man who strikes a blow shall be clapped in irons.
And just listen to me a moment, if you please," he continued, as the
faces below turned again toward him. "Will one of you men who seem so
extraordinarily anxious to come up here kindly explain _why_ you want to
come?"

For a moment there was dead silence among the crowd, then the burly man
whom Dick had struck, and who had retired crestfallen to the foot of the
ladder, looked up and replied:

"The ship's sinking--you can't deny it--and our lives are worth just as
much as other people's. We want to have a fair chance of saving 'em,
and--"

"Stop a moment," interrupted Dick, thinking he saw a chance to create a
diversion and avert the inevitable rush for a few minutes. "You say
that the ship is sinking and that you want to save your lives by taking
to the boats. Have you all taken the precaution to put your money and
other valuables in your pockets? And have you all seen to it that you
are dressed in your warmest clothes? You know," he continued,
banterin