y hands flew out, and I caught hold of and
dragged the bait in, cut the line with my pocket-knife, and saw it
snatched up out of sight directly.

I made some slight noise in starting back, and Mr Frewen rose quickly
to his elbow to stare in my excited face.

"What is it?" he said in a hurried whisper.

For answer I held before him a packet of something made up in a piece of
canvas, and tied round with spun-yarn.

"Let down to the cabin-window," I whispered, full of excitement, for the
packet was heavy, and I had my suspicions as to what it contained.

I had my knife still in my hand, and my fingers itched to cut the yarn
and open the parcel; but I thrust it beneath the blanket on the cot, and
went to the cabin-door to listen.

All was silent there, and though I listened for a few minutes, there did
not seem to be any one stirring on deck, so I turned back to Mr Frewen,
who was now standing by the cot, with his hands under the blanket, and
offered him the knife.

"I believe there are pistols inside, Dale," he whispered.

"I'm sure of it," I said. "Open it quick. I'll stand on this side."

He now stood between the parcel and the cabin-door so as to shelter our
treasure, which was turned out of the canvas the next minute, and proved
to be the weapons named, a pair that I remembered to have seen in
Captain Berriman's cabin, and with them plenty of ammunition.

"Loaded!" whispered Mr Frewen. "Be careful with yours."

"Mine?" I said.

"Yes; one is for you, and I hope you will not have to use it; but these
are stern times, Dale, and we must not be squeamish now."

After a few moments' consideration, it was decided to hide one pistol at
the foot of the cot, and the other beneath a quantity of drugs in the
big medicine-chest which stood in one corner of the cabin.

"Hah!" said my companion, smiling for the first time for days. "I begin
to feel a little more hopeful now, Dale. You and I are going to take
the ship yet. That was Hampton's work, of course?"

"Sure to be," I said, and we now began to turn over every plan we could
think of for getting our freedom.

"I want to do it if I can, my lad, without shedding blood, unless one
could not do that without risking life."

I could not help shuddering slightly at this.

That day passed by slowly and monotonously. We were visited from time
to time by Jarette or one of his men, but always with a strong guard
outside, in which I noted Blane and Dumlow, but t