CHAPTER XIV.
BESIEGED.

EN did not long remain unconscious after the young
girl began bathing his head and neck with water,
and, as he sprang to his feet, still half dazed from the
effect of the blow, the gloom of the cabin served to con-
fuse him yet more.

“Hello there! What’s going on? Who’s here?” he
asked sharply and quickly.

“The mischief is on deck. You were knocked sense-
less into the cabin, and have just recovered conscious-
ness,’ Miss Dunham said, as she laid her hand soothingly
on his arm. “Mr. Bean, two of the sailors and myself,
are the only ones here. It was necessary to put out the
lights, because the mutineers had begun to throw missiles
through the skylight.”

“How long have I been here?” Ben asked, now in a
more rational tone, as he felt for his weapons.

‘Not more than three or four minutes. The sailors
have your revolvers. Won't you lie down a little while,
and let me bring my hartshorn? Perhaps your head
is n't just clear yet.”

“J think it is, and there’s no time to be lost. How is
Bean?”

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