of any scheme.

"Cleats and Bitts will be on the mid watch to-night. I notice that
Cleats goes into the cabin once or twice in our quarter watch, and I
suppose he does in yours."

"Yes, after his coffee, I suppose. He always comes back eating a
biscuit."

"Just so; and Bitts goes to sleep."

"Not often."

"I've seen him asleep."

"The officers on duty have to keep on their feet all the time," said
Perth.

"No matter if they do. Bitts leans against the foremast, and goes to
sleep. He isn't used to being on watch lately."

"Well, go ahead."

"When Peaks goes below, we will draw the slide on him, and lock him
into the cabin," added Little.

"Good! Go on," replied Perth, beginning to be interested. "Bitts is
still on deck."

"Pass a line around him, and make him fast to the foremast while he is
asleep."

"It will be apt to wake him."

"No matter; he is fast."

"He will make a noise."

"But the other officers are locked into the cabin."

"It might work. What then?"

"Lower the second cutter, and go ashore."

"They would pick us up as soon as they broke out of the cabin. The
other fellows would work against us if we don't take them with us."

"Well, make a big thing of it, and take all the fellows and all the
boats," said the accommodating little villain.

"That would do better; and there isn't a fellow on board who isn't up
to such a move."

"That's so."

"It will take some time to work up the idea, though we have the
steerage all to ourselves," added Perth, musing.

The conspirators discussed the scheme at every opportunity during the
day, and imparted it to the rest of the crew. Some of them suggested
objections, but all of them were willing to take part in the
enterprise, for they were so utterly disgusted with the course of Mr.
Fluxion, that anything was preferable to submission.

"Suppose we get ashore," said Sheffield. "We shall be in Portugal,
perhaps fifty miles from any large place."

"Cape Roca isn't twenty miles from Lisbon," replied Perth. "We can walk
that distance in a day."

"What are you going to do in Lisbon? Not one of us can speak a word of
Portuguese."

"We can do just the same as we should have done in Brest, and raise
money on our letters of credit, and get to Paris. We can take a steamer
back to Brest. The fare will not be more than ten dollars apiece in the
fore cabin."

"Why not wait till we see where we are going?" suggested Sheffield.

"It may be too late