tty pass, though,
Burgess, for these young chaps to be taking the wind out of our sails."

"Oh, I don't mind," growled the mate. "Here, let's have it, Poole.
Look at him! He's got something bottled up as big as young Mr Burnett,
I dare say."

"Eh? Is that so, my boy? Have you been planning some scheme as well?"

"Well, father, I had some sort of an idea. It came all of a jump after
Burnett had proposed disabling the gun."

"Well done!" whispered Fitz excitedly.

"What is it, my lad?" said the skipper.

"Oh, I feel rather nervous about it, father, and I don't know that it
would answer; but I should like to try."

"Go on, then; let's hear what it is."

"You see, I noticed that they have always got steam up ready to come in
chase at any time if we try to slip out."

"That's right," growled the mate.

"Well, I was thinking, father, how would it be if we could foul the
screw?"

"Why, a job, my lad, for them to clear it again."

"But wouldn't it be very risky work lying waiting while they tried to
clear the screw? You know what tremendous currents there are running
along the coast."

"But they wouldn't affect a craft lying at anchor, my lad," growled the
mate.

"No," said Poole excitedly; "but I should expect to foul the screw just
when they had given orders to up with the anchor to come in chase of us
or to resist attack."

"And how would you do it, my lad?" said the skipper.

"Well, father, I was thinking--But I don't profess for a moment that it
would succeed."

"Let's have what you thought, and don't talk so much," cried the
skipper. "How could you foul the screw?"

"Well, the dinghy wouldn't do, father; it would be too small. We should
have to go in the gig, with four men to row. I should like to take the
big coil of Manilla cable aboard, with one end loose and handy, and a
good rope ready. Then I should get astern and make the end fast to one
of the fans of the screw, and give the cable a hitch round as well so as
to give a good hold with the loop before we lowered it overboard to
sink."

"Good," said Burgess. "Capital! And then if the fans didn't cut it
when they began to revolve, they'd wind the whole of that cable round
and round, and most likely regularly foul the screw badly before they
found out what was wrong."

"Yes," said the skipper quietly. "The idea is excellent if it answered,
but means the loss of a good new cable that I can't spare if things went
wrong; and that's