BESIEGED. 205

think as Miss Dunham does, that it will be safer for you
to remain perfectly quiet.”

Then, as a means of distracting the invalid’s attention
from his own condition, Ben explained what he had done
to secure the safety of those in the saloon, and when he
concluded the mate asked :

“ Have you made any plans for morning, sir?”

«None whatever. It’s a case of waiting for something
to turn up, so far as I can see. If the men should broach
the spirits to-night we ’ll have fairly plain sailing. It’s
only a question of getting out of this place without being
knocked in the head, as would surely happen if we
attempted to go through either companionway at present.”

“Do you think the men have any firearms, sir?”

«“ There’s one revolver among them, that much I know,
for I heard the report of it just after you came below.”

“Don’t you remember the pantry has a window over-
looking the deck ?”

Ben started as if electrified.

“That ’s the very idea, Bean. It would be a work of
half a dozen seconds to knock away a few slats from the
shutter, and then one man inside could keep the deck
clear forward of the mainmast so long as his ammunition
held out. I’ll try that scheme as soon as it is light, and
luck will be mightily against us if we don’t get a shot at
some of those villains before they are aware I’ve got the
drop on them.”

“T think it’s the best plan you could form, sir,” the
mate replied, ‘and in case you should be fortunate enough