ve been a
navigator?"

The rest of the men looked at O'Gorman, and he replied:

"Oh, you'd just have had to join us, or have gone overboard."

"Yes," said I. "And what then? How would you have managed without
anyone to have navigated the ship for you?"

"We should ha' had to ha' done the best we could," replied Price
nonchalantly.

"To what part of the Pacific are you bound?" asked I.

"To an oiland in latichood--" began O'Gorman.

"To an island?" I interrupted. "And do you think you would ever have
succeeded in finding that island without the assistance of a navigator?
Do you think you would ever have reached the Pacific at all? By what
means would you ascertain your whereabouts and avoid dangers?" I
demanded.

There was a long silence, which Price at length broke by replying:

"Oh, we'd ha' managed somehow."

"Yes," said I, "you would have managed somehow--for a few days, or
weeks, as the case might be; at the end of which time you would either
have run your ship ashore, and lost her; or you would have found
yourselves hopelessly out of your reckoning, with no knowledge of where
you were, or how to steer in order to reach your destination."

Nobody attempted to reply to this, all hands evidently realising the
truth of what I had said, and pondering upon it. At length, however,
when the silence had grown embarrassing, O'Gorman broke it, by asking--
in a much more civil tone than he had yet chosen to adopt with me:

"Well, misther, allowin' all this to be thrue, what of it?"

"Nothing, except that before propounding the conditions upon which I am
willing to agree to your proposal, I wished to make it perfectly clear
to you all that you can do absolutely nothing without my help," said I.
"You have chosen to adopt a very domineering and offensive tone with me,
under the evident impression that the young lady and myself are
completely at your mercy. And so we are, I willingly admit, but not to
the extent that you seem to suppose; because, if you will reflect for a
moment, you will see that you dare not murder, or even ill-treat me, or
the young lady. Here we are, in the South Atlantic, and not a man among
you all possesses knowledge enough to take this brig from where she now
floats to a port; hence you are as much at my mercy as I am at yours.
You can do absolutely nothing without me. Therefore, if you require my
assistance you must agree to my terms."

"Very well, sorr," answered O'Gorman; "let