tol was fired in his
direction.

"Stop that!" shouted Mr Frewen. "Look here, my men, if you hand out
your weapons through the top of the hatch, and promise not to attempt to
escape, food and water shall be passed down, and you shall receive fair
treatment till we get into port."

"Do you hear, my lads?" cried Jarette, loudly. "And when we get in port
they'll hand us over as prisoners. What do you--there, I'll say it for
you," he continued hastily. "No, no, no! And now listen to me, all you
who can hear. You can't sail into port without us, and you are only
proposing a truce because you are growing frightened."

"Indeed!" said Mr Frewen, coolly.

"Yes, indeed, doctor. I know your voice. Now you take my advice--you
and those two passengers. Get back to your cabins, and perhaps I'll
forgive you. We can come on deck now whenever we like, and we're
masters here. If you don't do as I say, look out, for I warn you I can
cover all of you with my pistol, and if I couldn't I'd sink the ship
before you should hold her again."

"Then you refuse to surrender?" cried Mr Frewen. "Harkye, my lads,
below there; don't let this madman lead you on to your ruin. Will you
surrender?"

"Silence below there!" shouted Jarette. "I'll give him his answer.
There!"

He fired, evidently aiming in the direction of Mr Frewen's voice, for
the bullet whizzed over the doctor's head; when, without waiting for
orders, Mr Preddle fired back, and his shot was followed by a sharp
ejaculation, suggesting that some one had been hit; but directly after
we heard a little talking, and several shots were fired at us, but
without effect.

"There," said Mr Brymer, "we have done our duty by them, we must now do
it by ourselves."

"If we could only master that one man," said Mr Frewen in the little
council of war which followed, "we could manage."

"Hadn't you better order the hose to be laid on, Mr Brymer, sir," said
Bob Hampton, "and drown 'em out like rats?"

"It would be punishing the weak with the guilty and strong, my lad,"
said Mr Brymer. "I am loth to proceed to extremities."

"Werry well then, sir, smoke 'em out as you would rats. I dessay the
doctor has got some brimstone."

"Yes, I have, Hampton," said Mr Frewen; "but, you see, these are men,
not rats."

"That's a true word, sir."

"You would not like to kill them all in cold blood, my man?"

"No, sir, that's a butchery sort o' way; but I'm ready to give 'em a
wopses' n