however, a strongly-armed picket to cut off access from the
quarter-deck to the rest of the ship.

The night was still dead calm, and the _Zebra_ lay like a log in the
sea, her sails drooping, and her head swinging idly with the tide.

"Well?" inquired one or two, looking at Lieutenant Adrian.

"Well?" retorted that officer. "If you want to know what I intend to
do, I mean to drink a bottle of port below. There is but one answer to
give, and nothing to discuss. So you may fetch me in an hour."

"Shall we tell the captain?" asked Mr Felton, the second lieutenant,
who, if he had only been superior to Mr Adrian, would have seen us
through the crisis with more credit than we were likely to get.

"Certainly not," said the doctor authoritatively. "The consultation in
his cabin yesterday was a fatal mistake as far as he is concerned. Let
him at least die in peace now."

"How many loyal men do we muster, Mr Gallagher?" said Mr Felton.

"Twenty-five, all told, sir," replied I. "We cannot count on any of the
men for certain, though one or two may join us if it comes to a fight."

"It will certainly come to that," said Mr Felton quietly. And no one
entertained the least question on that score.

"We have one ally more," observed the master, who had for some time been
sniffing the night air. "Unless I mistake, there's a sou'-wester coming
up in a jiffy."

"I think you are right, master," said Mr Felton. "That will put us
over to the Dutch side, anyhow."

"And there's another ally yet, sir," said I. "They've got possession of
the two casks of rum that were last shipped at Dublin."

"In that case," said the second lieutenant, laughing, "we may count on a
full hour before we are disturbed. If we are to make a fight of it, let
it be a good one. Gentlemen," said he, addressing the company, "the
quarter-deck is still ours; twenty-five loyal men are a match for two
hundred and fifty scoundrels any day. Bring the stern-guns into
position, and throw up a barricade here. Look to your pistols and
swords, and don't waste bullets or powder. The worst they can do is to
blow the ship up, and that they won't do.--Master, you were right about
the breeze. Bring her round as soon as she moves.--And some of you
young gentlemen," said he to the midshipmen, "be ready to bear a hand
aloft with the sails.--Mr Gallagher, watch your chance of getting round
to the forecastle and doctoring the guns there. You are not a new hand,