ot take the stuff."

"Then what is to be done?" said Mr Frewen.

"I propose," replied Mr Brymer, "that I get a couple of tins out of the
store and open them. Then Dale here shall take them to the cook; the
excuse for their being opened is to be that so many tins have gone bad."

"Which is true enough," said the captain, feebly.

"Exactly," continued Mr Brymer; "and these were opened to make sure
that they were all right."

"Well?"

"You can give me the stuff--laudanum, or whatever it is--to mix with the
contents of one tin, which Dale can take to the cook, and tell him to
warm up and reduce with hot water, while he reserves the other for our
table."

"But why give him two?" said the doctor.

"Because I want to avert suspicion in every way. The cook has been
mixed up with the men, and he shut himself up as you know in dread of
our punishing him, perhaps shooting him down. He may suspect something,
and manage to warn the men. If two tins are sent, one for the men and
one for our own table, everything will look simple and ordinary."

"And suppose he gives us the drugged one by mistake?"

"We can guard against that by sending a large one and a small one. No--
by sending two different kinds."

"There is only one kind," said the captain.

"I don't like the plan," said the doctor. "It may end in a mistake, and
we don't want to be hoist with our own petard."

"Hang it, no!" cried Mr Brymer. "All right then, we will not eat the
soup."

"But why shouldn't I take my drug--it will only be a small portion of a
white powder--and drop it into the soup when it is ready?"

"Because there would certainly be some hitch in the proceedings to
hinder you getting it in. Besides, we don't want the cook to be in the
secret."

"Very well then," said the doctor, "I suppose that must be the plan.
I'll go and get the drug ready at once, and bring it here. But one
minute; how many men are there in the forecastle?--because I must reckon
accordingly."

"Say sixteen. You must give them a pretty good dose."

"Yes; but not strong enough to be risky," said Mr Frewen; and he signed
to me to go with him to his cabin, where he opened his medicine-chest,
and after a little thought, carefully weighed out, from a stoppered
bottle, an absurdly small portion of a whitish powder and placed it in a
square of white paper.

"There," he said, "take that to Mr Brymer, and tell him to give it a
good stir round, or we shall be killing s