es I couldn't do better than land here and get
up to that sort of shelf yonder. Beautiful situation too, freehold if
you held tight. Raither lonely perhaps, but with my axe and these 'ere
three stoopids to help me, I could knock the skipper up a nice eligible
marine villa, as they calls it, where we could all live comfortable for
a year or two; and you young gents could have nice little gardens of
your own. Then I could make you a little harbour where you could keep
your boat and go fishing and shooting and having a high old time. I
don't think you'd get such a chance again."

"And what about the schooner?" said Fitz, laughing.

"Oh, we should have to dismantle her, and work up the stuff, bulkheads
and such-like, to line the new house. I've got an idea that I could
work in all the hatches and tarpaulins for a roof; for though you get
plenty of sunshine out here, my word, when it do rain, it do! What do
you say, sir?"

"Nothing," said Poole. "It won't do, Chips."

"Well, no, sir; I thought it wouldn't when I first began to speak."

"Try again."

"Don't think I have got any more stuff, sir. But lookye here; why don't
the skipper take us all down in the boats when it's dark, and let us
board the enemy and take her? We could, couldn't we, messmates?"

"Yes, of course," came in a growl.

"There, sir! You 'ear?"

"Yes, I hear," said Poole, "and I dare say we could, but only at the
expense of half the lads killed and wounded; and that would be paying
too dear. Now, look here, my lad; here's an idea rather in your way.
Couldn't we make a plan to scuttle and sink the gunboat where she lies?
What do you say to that?"

"Can't be did, sir. I could creep alongside the schooner and do it to
her; but that there gunboat's got heavy steel plates right round her,
going ever so deep, and they'd be rather too much for my tools. They'd
spoil every auger I've got. The skipper hasn't got a torpedo aboard,
has he? One of them new 'uns that you winds up and sets a-going with a
little screw-propeller somewheres astern, and a head full of nitro--
what-d'ye-call-it, which goes off when it hits?"

"No," said Poole, as he lay back gazing at the gunboat through his
half-closed eyes, and in imagination saw the little thread-like
appearance formed by the disturbed water as a fish-torpedo ploughed its
way along; "we didn't bring anything of the kind."

"No, sir; I thought you wouldn't. But what about a big bag of powder
st