Murray exclaimed--

"Then the poor fellow has been killed, Tom."

"And buried, sir, seemingly," growled the sailor; and without waiting
for orders, he went down on one knee to raise the broad square flap,
while the black shrank a little more away where he knelt, and began
rubbing his hands together excitedly.

"Well, my lad," cried Mr Anderson, "be smart! You're not afraid, are
you?"

"Not a bit, sir," growled the big sailor; "but there seems to be some
sort o' dodgery over this here hatchway. You see, there arn't no
ring-bolt."

"Take your cutlass to it, Tom," said Murray; and as he spoke he drew his
dirk.

"Ay, ay, sir; that'll do it," replied the sailor, and directly after the
middy and he began to force in the edges of their blades so as to try
and prise open the trap.

"Come, come, come," cried the lieutenant, "don't bungle like that;" and
he drew his sword. "Let me try."

Murray made way, and the officer began to try and force in the edge of
his service blade.

"Humph! Dear me!" he muttered. "The floor is made of mahogany. Very
hard wood. Not so easy as I thought, May, my lad."

A broad smile covered the big sailor's countenance as he watched his
officer's failure.

"Ay, ay, sir!" he growled. "Beg pardon, sir; you'll be breaking your
sword."

"Yes, my lad, and I don't want to do that," said the lieutenant. "Here,
hallo! What do you mean by that? Look here, Mr Murray; your nigger is
trying to tell you how to do it. He knows all about it. Let him try."

For, as if recovering somewhat from his abject dread, the black knelt
and shuffled about as if longing to perform the task himself.

"Yes, sir, that's it," said the midshipman eagerly. "Now then, Caesar,
show us how it's done."

But this only made the black shrink away more and more, and begin
shaking his head violently and resuming the pointing as before.

"Here, he must be made to show how it is done," cried the lieutenant
impatiently. "We cannot waste time like this."

"I think I can manage now, sir," said Murray, for just then the black
caught hold of his hand, slipped his own up the lad's wrist, and pressed
him to one side of the square trap that refused to open.

The rest was plain, for it soon became clear that, though the black was
afraid to do anything towards opening the trap himself, he was quite
ready to use the hands of another party for the purpose.

"Oh, that's it, is it, Caesar?" cried Murray, who now submitted