ire
nor take care of a chronometer.

Before starting back they made some preliminary and precautionary
preparations. While Martin inventoried the stores and Amos the
coal-supply, the others towed the schooner alongside and moored her.
Then they shackled the schooner's end of the chain cable around the
inner barrel of the windlass and riveted the key of the shackle. They
transhipped their clothing and what was left of the provisions. They
also took the log-book and charts, compass, empty outer
chronometer-case,--which Elisha handled tenderly and officiously by its
strap in full view of the captives,--windlass-brakes, tool-chest,
deck-tools, axes, handspikes, heavers, boat-hooks, belaying-pins, and
everything in the shape of weapon or missile by which disgruntled
Englishmen could do harm to the schooner or their rescuers.

Then they passed the rescued ones down to the schooner, and Martin told
them where they would find the iron kettle for boiling codfish, with
the additional information that with skill and ingenuity they could
make fish-balls in the same kettle.

Martin had reported a plenitude of provisions, and anathematized the
lying captain and steward; and Amos had declared his belief that with
careful economy in the use of coal they could steam to the American
coast with the supply in the bunkers: so they did not take any of the
codfish, and the hawsers, valuable as fuel in case of a shortage, were
left where they would be more valuable as evidence against the lawless,
incompetent Englishmen. And they also left the dories, all but one, for
reasons in Elisha's mind which he did not state at the time.

They removed the bonds of one man--who could release the others--and
cast off the fastenings; then, with Amos and a picked crew of pupils in
the boat's vitals, they went ahead and dropped the prison-hulk back to
the full length of the chain, while the furious curses of the prisoners
troubled the air. They found a little difficulty in steering by the
winch and deck-compass (they would have mended the tiller-ropes with a
section of backstay had they not bargained otherwise), but finally
mastered the knack, and headed westerly.

You cannot take an Englishman's ship from under him--homeward bound and
close to port--and drag him to sea again on a diet of salt codfish
without impinging on his sanity. When day broke they looked and saw the
hawsers slipping over the schooner's rail, and afterward a fountain of
fish arisi