ything to the other men. It's a serious business, and we want you to
wait."

"That's right, sir. I'll wait and help you all I can; and I'll make
half-a-davy, as the lawyers calls it, that I won't tell the other lads
anything. 'Cause why--I don't know."

CHAPTER FORTY EIGHT.

VERY WRONG.

Very little more was said, and the preparations were soon finished, with
the rest of the crew looking on in silence. It seemed to be an
understood thing, after a few words had passed with the selected men,
that there was to be no palaver, as they termed it.

As for Fitz and Poole, they had nothing to do but think, and naturally
they thought a great deal, especially when the night came on, with the
watching party who had been sent below to the mouth of the river back
with the announcement that the gunboat was in its old place, the boats
all up to the davits, and not a sign of anything going on. But far from
taking this as a token of safety, the skipper and mate made their
arrangements to give the enemy a warm welcome if they should attack, and
also despatched a couple of men in the dinghy to make fast just off the
edge of the first bend and keep watch there, trusting well to their ears
for the first warning of any boat that might be coming up.

The two lads stole away into their favourite place for consultations as
soon as it was dark, to have what they called a quiet chat over their
plans.

"I don't see that we could do any more," said Fitz, "but we must keep
talking about it. The time goes so horribly slowly. Generally speaking
when you are expecting anything it goes so fast; now it crawls as if the
time would never be here."

"Well, that's queer," said Poole. "Ever since I knew that we were going
it has seemed to gallop."

"Well, whether it gallops or whether it crawls it can't be very long
before it's time to start. I say, how do you feel?"

"Horrible," said Poole. "It makes me think that I must be a bit of a
coward, for I want to shirk the responsibility and be under somebody's
command. My part seems to be too much for a fellow like me to
undertake. You don't feel like that, of course."

Fitz sat there in the darkness for a few minutes without speaking. Then
after heaving a deep sigh--

"I say," he whispered, "shall you think me a coward if I say I feel just
like that?"

"No. Feeling as I do, of course I can't."

"Well, that's just how I am," said Fitz. "Sometimes I feel as if I were
quite a man