closely. "This is an empty one, and the hoops seem quite
loose."

In a few minutes, four iron hoops were taken off the cask.

"After all," Matteo said, "they cannot be of much use. The iron is rust
eaten, and they would break in our hands before going into any one."

"They would certainly be useless as daggers, Matteo, but I think that
with care they will act as saws. Break off a length of about a foot.

"Now straighten it, and tear a piece off your doublet and wrap it round
and round one end, so that you can hold it. Now just try it on the edge
of a beam."

"It certainly cuts," Matteo announced after a trial, "but not very
fast."

"So that it cuts at all, we may be very well content," Francis said
cheerfully. "We have got a week, at least, to work in; and if the wind
is not favourable, we may have a month. Let us therefore break the
hoops up into pieces of the right length. We must use them carefully,
for we may expect to have many breakages."

"What next, captain?"

"Our object will, of course, be to cut through into the main hold,
which separates us from the crew. There we shall probably find plenty
of weapons. But to use our saws, we must first find a hole in the
bulkhead. First of all, then, let there be a strict search made for a
knothole, or any other hole through the bulkhead."

It was too dark for eyes to be of much use, but hands were run all over
the bulkhead. But no hole, however small, was discovered.

"It is clear, then," Francis said, "that the first thing to do is to
cut out some of those iron bolts. Pick out those that are nearest to
the lower side of the beam, say three of them. There are twelve of us.
That will give four to each bolt, and we can relieve each other every
few minutes. Remember, it is patience that is required, and not
strength."

The work was at once begun. The young men had, by this time, fully
entered into the spirit of the attempt. The quiet and businesslike way,
in which their leader set about it, convinced them that he at least had
a firm belief that the work was possible; and there was a hope, even if
but a remote one, of avoiding the dreaded dungeons of Genoa.

The work was slow, and two or three of the strips of iron were at first
broken, by the too great eagerness of their holders; but when it was
found that, by using them lightly, the edges gradually cut their way
into the wood, the work went on regularly. The Pluto had been hurriedly
constructed, and any timber