"There's that knocking again."

There it was quite plainly, and then came a repetition seemingly close
at hand,--three smart taps as of knuckles on a chest.

"There's some one else, and quite near," I said in a low voice.

"No, my lad, that was me. Here's a big case behind me, and I let go on
it."

There were three more taps at a distance.

"Knock again," I said, and this time Bob struck twice.

A few moments later there were distinctly heard two knocks.

"They heard us," I said, and answered. "Try again with one."

He struck once as loudly as he could, and we waited excitedly to hear
one blow given apparently on a bulk-head.

"Those are our friends there," I cried excitedly.

"If it arn't old Frenchy gammoning us, sir," said Barney.

"I think it must be our friends," I said, feeling unwilling to give up
the idea; and I was going to add something, when there came to us
plainly enough the sound of feet passing somewhere overhead, and
directly after a voice shouted something, but what we could not hear.

CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.

Our heads, on comparing notes, began to feel more bearable, and as the
throbbing gradually died away we could feel that the effort to think was
easier, while our thoughts were clearer, and before long we began to
feel about so as to learn what kind of place we were in, and made out
that it was an oblong kind of space between cases, and with barrels
underneath, and upon which we had been lying when we began to come to.
We could learn nothing further, and there were no replies now to the
tappings we gave from time to time, a fact which made my heart sink
rather low. For I knew that there must be some reason for this, and I
was trying to puzzle it out, when Barney Blane said suddenly--

"Say, messmates, arn't it 'bout time as some 'un came round to feed the
crew?"

"Ay," said Bob, "and the sooner they do it the better. I'm getting wild
for want o' somethin' to stow in my hold. They've got to bring
something too, or I'll soon let 'em know."

"Know what, Bob?" I said anxiously, for the man's voice sounded fierce
and strange.

"Why, sir, they threatened us as to what they'd do; fired it right into
my ear, Jarette did. He says to me he says, `If yer don't soon let us
out, I'll set fire to the ship.'"

"Yes, I know he did," I said.

"That's 'robborative evidence, messmates, when yer orficer says you're
right. Well, then, what I says to him is this, I've got a box o'
match