d Mark, pettishly, for he was in great pain, "I'm in no
humour for listening to your rigmaroles. Help me to get this hatch
undone, and then we must make a rush at them and drive them below. Nice
state of affairs to beat the Americans, and all the time leave the way
open for those wretched blacks to take us in the rear."

"You don't see the rights of it, sir," said Tom Fillot, dismally.

"Yes, I do. The blacks thought they had a good chance of getting their
own way, and they took it."

"Ah, you think it was the niggers, then?"

"Why, of course. Bah! how stupid of me. They made that noise below in
the forecastle--the Yankees, I mean."

"Yes, sir, you've got the right pig by the ear now," said Tom Fillot.
"They kicked up that row to cover the noise they made breaking through
the bulk-heading, so as to get into the hold where the blacks are."

"Yes," cried Mark, excitedly, "and the slaves fought and tried to keep
them back. Of course; and we thought it was those poor fellows. Well,
it was a cunning trick. A ship makes a bad prison for one's enemies."

"Yes, sir; they've been one too many for us this time," said Tom Fillot.
"The Yankees are sharp, and no mistake."

"Do you mean to say, mate," growled Dick Bannock, "that the Yanks got
out through the hold where the niggers was?"

"Yes; that's it."

"Oh, very well; that's it, then. Stow all that talking, mate, and let's
have a go at 'em again. Strikes me we'd better drive 'em overboard this
time."

"Ay, but then they'd come up through the keel or in at the hawse-holes,"
growled Tom Fillot.

"Silence!" said Mark, sharply. "Who else is down here?"

"There's me," said Stepney.

"Fillot, Stepney, Bannock, and the black, isn't it?"

"Ay, ay, sir. You're here, Soup?"

"Ay, ay, sir," came in the negro's familiar voice.

"Anybody wounded?" asked Mark, anxiously.

"Too dark to see, sir," growled Stepney. "I feel as if I'd got only one
leg."

"Ah! your leg not broken?"

"No, sir, I don't think so. I'm a-feeling for it. It's all right, sir;
it's here, only got it doubled under me when I fell. Aren't we going to
make someone's head ache, sir, for this?"

"We're going to make a dash for them directly," said Mark, in a voice
full of suppressed excitement. "Ah! the light at last. Now we shall be
able to see what we are going to do. Hush! what's that?"

For there was a loud rattling of chain forward, and Mark looked
inquiringly at the face of Tom