rose from her place of concealment, as much to my
surprise as that of all who could observe her. But nothing could equal
the astonishment of Gough when he first caught sight of her features--he
sprang to his feet, leaving his pistols on the ground, and clasping his
hands together, exclaimed, "Thank God, she is safe!"

"Yes," she replied, approaching him and taking his hand kindly. "By an
interposition of Providence you are saved from the guilt of one murder.
In the name of that God who has so signally preserved you against
yourself, I command you to abandon your present wicked designs."

The man hesitated, but it seemed as if he could not take his gaze from
her face, and it was evident that her presence exerted an extraordinary
influence over him. In the mean time I had made my appearance on the
scene, not less to the astonishment of the lookers-on; and my first act
was to take possession of the pair of pistols that Gough had left on the
ground; my next to hurry to the group of captives, who had been
regarding us, in a state as it were of perfect bewilderment, and with my
American knife to cut their bonds.

"I will do whatever you think proper," said John Gough. "Believe me, I
have been reluctantly led into this, and joined the mutiny knowing that
I should have been murdered if I did not."

"You must endeavour to make what amends are in your power," continued
Mrs Reichardt, "by assisting your officers in recovering possession of
the ship."

"I will gladly assist in whatever they may think feasible," said the
man. "But we must first secure the desperate fellows who have just left
us; and as we are but poorly provided with weapons, that of itself will
be a service of no slight danger. To get possession of the ship I am
afraid will be still more hazardous; but you shall find me in the front
of every danger." Here Captain Manvers and the others came up to where
John Gough and Mrs Reichardt were conversing; he heard Gough's last
speech, and he was going to say something, when I interposed by stating
that there was no time now for explanations, for in a few minutes the
fellows who had gone to the hut would return, and the only way to
prepare for them was for the whole party to go to our house, to which
Mrs Reichardt would lead them, where they would find plenty of arms and
ammunition. In the meantime I would keep watch, and observe their
motions, and by firing one of the pistols would signal to them if I was
in