the poor wretches up like that, sir, and half of them
wounded!"

"Beg pardon, sir; there was no other way handy. We lashed their arms
behind 'em to keep 'em from knifing us, and then they kept on jumping
overboard, and trying to drown themselves. We haven't hurt them."

"Cast them loose at once."

"Yes, sir; I should like half-a-dozen strong chaps in the boat, though."

"Well, take them," said Mr Reardon, who was speaking less severely now.
"I'll have the uninjured men in irons this time. Be careful."

"And if I'd my way, I'd have 'em all in iron boxes, 'cept their hands."

The boatswain said this to me, with a nod, as the first lieutenant
turned away, and, unable to control my curiosity, I sprang up on the
bulwark to look into the boat.

"Let's have a look too," cried Smith, and he jumped up to gain a
position much closer than mine, but quitted his hold and dropped back on
deck, lost his footing, and came down sitting; for, as he leaned over
the boat's gunnel, one of the prisoners made a sudden snap at him, after
the fashion of an angry dog, and the marines burst into a roar of
laughter.

Smith got up scowling and indignant.

"My hands slipped," he said to me aloud. And then, to carry off his
confusion, "How many are there, Herrick?"

"Three lots of six," I said, as I now saw plainly enough how it was that
the prisoners were in such a strange position. For they had been
dragged together and their pigtails lashed into a tight knot, a process
admirably suited to the object in hand--to render them perfectly
helpless; and their aspect certainly did not excite my anger.

Meanwhile the boatswain had stepped into the swinging boat, and he
turned to me, but looked at Smith as he spoke.

"Like to try whether either of the others will bite, Mr Herrick?" he
said.

Smith coloured and frowned.

"No, thank you," I replied; "I'm satisfied."

"Now then, you two," said the boatswain, "stand by with your bayonets;
and you, my lads, be ready as we cast them loose. Get a good grip of
each fellow by the tail; he'll be helpless then."

I stood looking on at the curious scene, and the next minute was
conscious of the fact that the first lieutenant had returned to
supervise the putting of the prisoners in irons himself; and, as the
tails were unlashed, he took note of the men who were injured, and had
them lifted out and laid on deck.

The others made no attempt to escape, for they were too firmly held;
but, as th