uck alongside her rudder? You see, you might tie the bag up with a
bit of spun-yarn rubbed with wet powder, and leave a long end hanging
down as far as the boat in which you rowed out."

"And set a light to it?" said Fitz.

"That's right, sir. You see," cried Chips, "and it would go fizzling
and sparkling till we rowed right away out of reach, and up she'd go,
bang."

"And while you were striking matches to light the touch-string, the
enemy would be shooting at you or dropping cold shot or pig-ballast into
us to sink the boat," said Poole.

"Bah!" said Fitz. "They keep such a strict watch that they would never
let a row-boat come near."

"No, sir," said Chips; "that's just what I think. Them Spaniels aren't
very clever, but they all seem to have got eyes in their heads. Now,
this 'ere's a better idee. Say you are the skipper, and you says to
half-a-dozen of us, `Now, my lads, them there Span'ls is making
themselves a regular noosance with that there big gun. Don't you think
you could take the gig to-night, drop down under their bows, hook on by
the fore-chains, and then swarm up on the quiet like, catch hold of the
big gun, carry her to the side, and drop her over into deep water!'"

"Ha! ha! Capital!" cried Fitz. "Splendid! Yes, I don't believe she
weighs more than two or three tons. Why, Poole, we ought to go
to-night. They wouldn't be able to get her up again without a lighter
and divers from New York. But it's a capital idea."

"Don't you mind what he says," growled the carpenter. "He's a-quizzing
on us, my lads. Well, I gives that up. That job would be a bit too
stiff."

"Yes," said Poole, laughing. "Try again."

"I dunno what they wants a great clumsy lumbering thing like that aboard
a ship for. Bower-anchors is bad enough, banging against your craft;
but you can lower them down to the bottom when your ship gets tired, and
give her a bit of a rest."

"Yes," said one of the other sailors; "you'll have to think of something
better than that, Shavings."

"Ay, but that was a fine idea, my lad, if the gun had been a bit
lighter. The Span'ls would have been so flabbergasted when they heard
the splash, that we should have had lots of time to get away. Now, let
me see; let me see. What we wants is a big hole in that gunboat's
bottom, so that they would be obliged to take to their boats. What do
you say to this? I've got a bottle of stain aboard as I used to do over
the wood at the top