tern. There was a man in charge of each. The two
sat on the deck, with a can of liquor between them, playing dice in a
quarrelsome, half-tipsy way. The rest of the company were assembled on
the middle deck, and, to judge by the sounds, were deep in the
discussion of their rum and their grievances.

I gave my comrade a signal, and next moment we sprang noiselessly on
board, and had the two gunners overpowered, gagged, and made fast before
they could utter a sound or reach for their arms.

Then without losing a moment we drove our nails into the touch-holes of
the guns, trusting to the noise of the revellers and the dash of the
water at the bows to drown the sound of the hammer. This done we
dropped overboard, each with a prisoner, as quietly as we had come, and
with the aid of the line reached the stern in safety, and found
ourselves once more on the sanctuary of the quarter-deck.

Scarcely had we done so when we became aware of a movement among the
enemy. So busily occupied had they been in their debauch that they had
not noticed the change in the weather, or the advantage which had been
taken of it to put the ship under way. As it was, they might have even
allowed that to pass, supposing it only brought them nearer to Yarmouth
Roads, when one of the old salts in their number pronounced that the new
wind was from another quarter, and that instead of closing in with the
admiral's fleet off Yarmouth the _Zebra_ was running for the open sea
with a strong south-wester astern.

Finding themselves thus hoodwinked, and already excited by drink, the
leaders, and as many of the men as could be enticed from the liquor,
came once more aft and demanded another interview.

The quarter-deck, except for the sentries, the watch, and the men at the
guns, was comparatively deserted, the officers having retired below
until the hour allowed by the enemy had expired.

The senior officer present was Mr Felton.

"Quartermaster," said he, as he stepped up to the helmsman, "how does
she sail?"

"Nor'-east by east, sir. Making ten knots an hour."

"Keep her so.--Mr Gamble," said he, turning to a midshipman, "have the
goodness to go to my cabin at once and fetch the magnet you will find
lying in the drawer of my desk."

In a minute Mr Gamble had performed his errand. Mr Felton meanwhile
had lifted the cover of the compass-box, into which he now inserted the
small magnet, so that it pulled the needle a quarter of the circle
rou