y, "but must manage plenty yet.
I tink der some damn lazy rascal sleep 'tween the guns. A lilly while
it no rain, and den we see better. Now keep all quiet."

"There must be a great many men in this ship," replied our hero; "she is
very large, and has twelve or fourteen guns--how shall we manage to
secure them?"

"All right," replied Mesty, "manage all dat by-and-bye. Don't care how
soon daylight come."

"It has left off raining already," observed Easy; "there is a candle in
the binnacle--suppose we light it and look round the decks."

"Yes," replied Mesty, "one man sentry over cabin hatch, and another over
after-hatch. Now den we light candle, and all the rest go round the
deck. Mind you leave all your pistols on capstern."

Jack lighted the candle, and they proceeded round the decks: they had
not walked far, when, between two of the guns, they discovered a heap
covered with gregos. "There de _watch_," whispered Mesty; "all fast--
not ready for dem yet."

Mesty blew out the candle, and they all retreated to the binnacle, where
Mesty took out a coil of the ropes about the mizzen-mast, and cutting it
into lengths, gave them to the other men to unlay. In a few minutes
they had prepared a great many seizings to tie the men with.

"Now den we light candle again, and make sure of them lazy hounds," said
Mesty; "very much oblige to dem all de same; they let us take de ship--
mind now, wake one at a time, and shut him mouth."

"But suppose they get their mouths free and cry out?" replied Jack.

"Den, Mr Easy," replied Mesty, changing his countenance to an
expression almost demoniacal--"there no help for it"--and Mesty showed
his knife which he held in his right hand.

"Oh, no! do not let us murder them."

"No, massa--suppose can help it; but suppose they get upper hand--what
become of us? Spaniards hab knives, and use dem too, by de power!"

The observation of Mesty was correct, and the expression of his
countenance when he showed his knife proved what a relentless enemy he
could be, if his blood was once roused--but Mesty had figured in the
Ashantee wars in former days, and after that the reader need not be
surprised. They proceeded cautiously to where the Spaniards lay. The
arrangements of Mesty were very good. There were two men to gag them
while the others were to tie their limbs. Mesty and Easy were to kneel
by them with the candle, with raised knives to awe them into silence, or
to strike home,