. "But I suppose it's going to be all right," and he proceeded
to give his orders to the men.

"Now we shall begin to have them full of questions," said Poole. "I
begin to wish we were making it all open and above-aboard."

"I don't," said Fitz; "I like it as it is. If we told everybody it
would spoil half the fun."

"Fun!" cried Poole, screwing up his face into a quaint smile. "Fun, do
you call it? Do you know that this is going to be a very risky job?"

"Well, I suppose there'll be some risk in it," replied the middy; "but
it will be all in the dark, and we ought to get it done without a shot
being fired. I say, though, I have been thinking that you and I must
keep together, for I am afraid to trust myself over getting out that
block. I should have liked to have done that first, but the splash it
would make is bound to give the alarm, and there would be no chance
afterwards to get that cable fast, without you let old Butters and the
men do that while we were busy with the gun."

"No," said Poole decisively; "everything depends upon our doing these
things ourselves. The cable can be made fast without a sound, and as
soon as it is passed over the side of the boat, the men must lay the gig
alongside the bows for us to swarm up, do our part, and then get to them
the best way we can. I expect it will mean a jump overboard and a swim
till they pick us up."

"Yes," said Fitz; "that's right. Ah, there comes the end of the cable.
It's nice and soft to handle."

"Yes," said Poole, "and needn't make any noise."

The lads sauntered up to where the men were at work, three of them
lowering down the gig, while the carpenter and boatswain were bringing
up the cable out of the tier, the former on deck, the boatswain down
below.

"So you're going to have a night's fishing, my lad?" said the carpenter.
"Well, you'll find this 'ere a splendid line. But what about a hook?"

"Oh, we shan't want that yet, Chips," said Poole coolly.

"Nay, I know that, my lad; but you've got to think about it all the
same, and you'll want a pretty tidy one for a line like this. I didn't
know the fish run so big along this coast. Any one would think you'd
got whales in your heads. I never 'eard, though, as there was any
harpoons on board."

"Oh no, we are not going whale-fishing," said Poole quietly.

"What's it to be then, sir? Bottom fishing or top?"

"Top," said Poole.

"Then you'll be wanting me to make you a float. What'