--guns and pistols?" he said at last. "Oh, no. I daresay you
gents have had the gloves on and know how to use your fists?"

"Well, yes," said Sir Humphrey; "I must confess to that. Brace is
particularly smart with his."

"I'll be bound to say he is," said the captain, chuckling. "Then we are
likely to have some fun to-morrow."

"You don't apprehend danger, then, skipper?" said Briscoe: "no
shooting?"

"Not a bit, sir," was the reply. "We Englishmen are not so fond of
using shooting-irons as you Yankees are. As to danger? Well, yes,
there will be a bit for the lads if they really do begin to play the
tune called mu-ti-nee. For there'll be a few eyes closed up and swelled
lips. Lynton's a very hard hitter, and when I do use my fists it
generally hurts. Good three years, though, since I hit a man. He was a
bit of a mutineer too: an ugly mulatto chap, full of fine airs, and
given to telling me he wouldn't obey orders, and before the crew. I did
hit him--hard."

"Right into the middle of next week, skipper?" said Briscoe, laughing.

"No, but right overboard," said the captain, "and one of the men threw a
noose about his neck and pulled it tight, bringing him alongside. There
he was between drowning and hanging when I looked over the bows at him.
`Now, young fellow,' I says, `what's it to be: obey orders or no?' `Oh,
captain, captain,' he whines, `take me aboard.' `Climb up by the
bobstay,' I said. He wasn't long coming aboard, and I kept an eye on
him, half-expecting to see him come at me with his knife; but, bless
you, no: he was showing his teeth at me an hour after in a real smile,
and he seemed to feel a sort of respect for me all the rest of the
voyage."

"Then I hope you will be as successful with these men, captain," said
Brace.

"Oh, we'll try, Mr Brace: we'll try. Well, there's nothing to mind
to-night, gentlemen, so we may as well have our sleep out."

"Sleep?" said Brace. "What! with the men in a state of mutiny?"

"Pah!" ejaculated the captain. "Hallo! who's here?"

"Me--Dellow," said the first mate, in a hoarse whisper. "Lynton's here
too. Is anything wrong?"

"Yes," said the captain, and the two mates were made acquainted with the
trouble.

"Oh, that'll be all right, gentlemen," said the first mate quietly. "I
was afraid it was Indians and poisoned arrows. You can't reason with
them: you can with our lads. Lynton here is a wonderful arguer if
there's any trouble there, e