and cleaner for those dark--and, I'll admit,
pathetic--barbarians. You can't deny it. And you've too much sense to
deny it. So, I'll say nothing about this, if you like" (pointing to the
manuscript), "and if the wind holds, put you ashore to-morrow at Spanish
Wells. I like you in spite of myself. Is it a bargain?"

On this we parted, and, as I thought, with a certain friendliness on
both sides.

There was no sailing wind, so there was nothing to do but stay where we
were all day. The boys fished and lay around; and I spent most of the
time in my cabin, reading a novel, and, soon after nine, I fell asleep
in a frame of mind unaccountably trustful.

I suppose that I had been asleep about three hours when I was disturbed
by a tremendous roar. It was Sailor (who always slept near me) out on
the cockpit with a man under his paws--his jaws at the man's throat. I
called him off, and saw that it was my pock-marked friend, with his
right hand extended in the cockpit and a revolver a few inches away from
it. So far as I knew it was the only firearm on the ship. "Let's get
hold of that first, Sailor," I said, and I slipped it into my hip
pocket.

"It's too bad that we can't be decent to people, Sailor, isn't it? It
makes life awfully sad," I said.

Sailor wagged his tail.

The stars were fading on the eastern islands.

"Wake up, Tom," I called, and, "wake up, Captain!" Meanwhile, I took out
the revolver from my hip pocket, and held it over the man I seemed to
grow more and more sorry for.

"We've not only got a mutiny aboard," I told the captain, "but we've got
treason to the British Government. Do you want to stand for that? Or
shall I put you ashore with the rest?"

Unruffled as usual, he had nothing to say beyond

"Ay, ay, sir!"

"Take this cord then," I ordered him and Tom, "and bind the hands and
feet of this pock-marked gentleman here; also of George, engineer; and
also of Theodore, the deck-hand. Bind them well. And throw them into the
dingy, with a bottle of water apiece, and a loaf of bread. By noon,
we'll have some wind, and can make our way to Harbour Island, and there
I'll have a little talk with the Commandant."

And as I ordered, all was done. Tom and I rowed the dingy ashore, with
our three captives bound like three silly fowls, and presently threw
them ashore with precious little ceremony, I can tell you; for the coral
rock is not all it sounds in poetry. Then we got back to the _Maggie
Darling,_ w