eshell of a boat
will only hold three or four people, and the chances are that some
ruffianly work is going on, and we shall only share the fate of the
victims."

"It must be done, though," answered Cousin Silas. "I cannot stay
quietly here when perhaps our appearance may prevent further mischief.
I will go in the boat, and I daresay I shall have volunteers to
accompany me."

"In that case I will go with you, Brand," said the doctor, who was as
plucky as anybody. "I still say, however, that we should be wiser
remaining where we are till daylight."

"No, no, doctor," returned Cousin Silas; "you are not a fighting-man.
Your life is too valuable to be risked. You stay on board and look
after the lads."

"But we want to go with you, Mr Brand!" exclaimed Jerry and I together;
"you won't leave us behind?"

"I daresay, boys!" answered Cousin Silas. "What account should I have
to give to the captain if either of you got knocked on the head and I
escaped? You remain on board the schooner. It will be daylight soon;
and if I do not return before then, you'll be able to see where to pick
me up."

"If you resolves to go, why, d'ye see, sir, I goes with you," said Ben
Yool, stepping up. "One of these brown chaps says he'll go, and that's
all you want. To my mind, if we can frighten the villains from going on
with their murderous work, we may do some good; but as to forcing them
to hold their hands, we couldn't do it if we were even to lay the little
_Dove_ alongside them."

Mr Brand thanked Ben for his promptness in offering to support him, and
accepted his services; and arming themselves, they both, without further
delay, accompanied by a tall, strong Sandwich islander, lowered the
schooner's dinghy into the water.

"What I'd advise, sir, is this," said Ben: "Let us get as close up to
where the cries come from as we can without being seen, and then let us
hail the vessel, or raft, or whatever it may be, in gruff voices, and
say that if they don't knock off their murdering work, and let the
people they are harming go free, we will blow them all up into the sky.
If they don't heed us, we'll shriek and cry, and make all sorts of
noises, as if a thousand demons were about to board them; and, as people
who are about any bad work are certain to have bad consciences, they'll
fancy that the noises are ten times louder and worse than they are. If
that does not succeed, we must try some other dodge; we shall hit off
somet