only one hand in her. Besides this man
there were but eight other persons besides the mutineers on the ship,
including the fourth mate, cooper, steward, and carpenter.

Calling the carpenter to him, Rodman covered him with his pistol, and
told him and the rest of the startled men to keep quiet or it would be
worse for them.

"Two of you help my brother into the boat," he ordered. He was at once
obeyed, and Ned Rodman was passed over the side into the hands of the
man in the boat.

"Put out every light on deck and aloft," was his next command, and this
was done by the watch without delay; for there was in Rodman's face such
a look of savage determination that they dared not think of refusing.
Then he ordered them into the sail-locker.

"Now, Mr. Waller," he said, addressing the carpenter, "we don't want to
hurt you and these three men with you. But we are desperate, and bent on
a desperate course. Still, if you don't want to get shot, do as I tell
you. Get into that sail-locker and lie low. Mr. Newman and the cooper
and the steward are already disposed of. And I'm going to put it out of
the power of Captain 'Brute' Lucy to get me and those with me into his
hands again."

"You won't shut us up in the sail-locker and scuttle the ship and let us
drown, will you?" asked the carpenter.

"No; I'm no murderer, unless you make me one. If there is any one I have
a grudge against it is Mr. Newman and the cooper; but I won't do more
to the cooper than I have already done. Still I'm not going to leave the
ship in your hands until I have messed her up a bit. So away with you
into the locker, and let us get to work."

Then, with the man from the boat, the carpenter and his companions were
pushed into the sail-locker and the door securely fastened. Looking down
from the skylight into the cabin Rodman saw that the cooper had not yet
come to, and therefore no danger need be apprehended from him. Sending
Wray below, the rifles, ammunition, and nautical instruments were passed
up on deck and handed down into the boat. Then, leaving Porter on guard
to watch the cooper, Rodman and the others went for'ard with a couple of
axes and slashed away at the standing fore-rigging on both sides; they
then cut half-way through the foremast, so that the slightest puff of
wind, when it came, would send it over the side. Then, going for'ard,
they cut through the head stays.

"That will do," said the boat-steerer, flinging down his axe; and then