ys," I replied. "And, as to
our not wanting to go to the Barcos Channel, why should we not want to
go there?"

"Why, because we want to go to Port Royal instead, I suppose. What d'ye
mean, Lascelles?--hang it, man, I--what are you driving at?" stammered
Courtenay, thoroughly taken aback.

"Ah!" said I, with a certain air of triumph, I am afraid, "I see that my
plan has not yet dawned upon your benighted understanding. What is to
prevent our going to this Barcos Channel, seeing everything that is to
be seen there, and then making our way to Port Royal--the difficulty as
to that will be no greater then than it is now--and reporting the whole
affair to the admiral, who will doubtless send an expedition on his own
account, and send us with it as a reward for our--"

"That will do," interrupted Courtenay enthusiastically. "By George,
Lascelles, you are a trump! a genius! a--a--in fact I don't know what
you are not, in the line of `superior attainments,' as my schoolmaster
used to say. And I--what a _consummate_ idiot I must have been not to
think of it too! I say, old fellow, would you be so kind and obliging
as to kick me _hard_ once or twice. No? Well, never mind; I daresay
somebody else will, sooner or later, so I will excuse you. But, I say,
Lascelles," he continued, as serious now as myself, "it is an awful
risky thing to do; do you think we have nerve and--and--_impudence_
enough to carry it through without being found out? We are only two
against ten, you know, on board here; and if we are detected it will be
a sure case of,"--and he drew his hand suggestively across his
throat--"eh?"

"No doubt of that, I think," said I. "But why should we be found out?
I feel as though my nerve would prove quite equal to the task; and as
for impudence, you have enough and to spare for both of us."

"All right, then," said he, "we'll chance it; and there's my hand upon
it, Lascelles. You make whatever plans you may consider necessary, and
I'll back you up through thick and thin. A man can but die once; and if
we fail in this we shall at least have the consolation of feeling that
we fell whilst doing our duty--for there can be no mistake about its
being our duty to bring about the destruction of that gang of pirates
who, I now feel convinced, are lurking among those lagoons inside the
Barcos Channel."

"Yes," said I, "I think there can be no doubt about that. And now,
having arrived at a clear understanding as to