to the chief mate, "knock the
men off for a minute or two, and send them aft, if you please."

The mate, marvelling, no doubt, at this untimely interruption of an
operation of great importance, did as he was bid, and in a few minutes
all hands, except the injured men, were mustered in the waist, waiting
to hear what the skipper had to say to them. As soon as silence had
been secured, Captain Chesney advanced and said:

"My lads, I have sent for you to come aft in order that I may
communicate to you a matter that may prove of very considerable
consequence to us all, and to invite your best assistance and co-
operation in an investigation that I am about to cause to be made. The
matter in question may or may not prove to be of an alarming character;
but, in case of its turning out to be the latter, I want to impress upon
you all the paramount importance of order, method, and the most implicit
obedience, without which nothing of real importance can ever be
achieved. There is at critical moments an impulse in every man to think
and act independently, under the conviction that no one is so capable as
himself of dealing efficiently and effectually with the matter in hand,
and when this impulse prevails confusion and disorder follow, and all
useful effort is frustrated. Where a number of men are working jointly
together there must be a leader--one who will think for and direct the
efforts of the rest, and it is essential to success that the orders of
that leader should be obeyed. Now, in the present case, my lads, I will
do all the thinking and planning and arranging, and if you will do the
work quietly, methodically, and steadily there is no reason why all
should not be well.

"I have said all this with a double purpose: first, to prepare you for
rather serious news; and, second, to quiet and steady you for the work
which lies before us. And, first, as to the news. I fear that the
lightning has done us rather more damage than we have hitherto had
reason to suppose. In a word, men, I fear that it has set the cargo on
fire--steady, lads, steady; I only say I fear that such is the case; I
am by no means certain of it. But it is necessary that the matter
should be investigated forthwith; I am, therefore, about to have the
fore-hatch lifted and the cargo examined. Mr Priest, you, with your
watch, will take off the hatches and rouse the cargo up on deck; and
you, Mr Simcoe, with the starboard watch, will muster the buck