230 THE BOY CAPTAIN.

ing the stairway in order to speak with Sam for a moment
before performing the surgical duty.

«Ts Bart used up pretty bad?” the sailor asked.

“T reckon he ’ll stand good for a hospital a month or
two, if his neck isn’t stretched before then, as it ought
to be.”

«These ’ere mates of his want to speak with you, sir.
Mutineering ain’t sech a pleasant job as was thought it
would be, an’ now they’d like to crawl out of the hole
they 've put themselves into.”

«What is it you’ve got to say?” Ben asked, sharply,
turning to the men who were lying helpless on the star-
board side, where they had been packed away like so
much merchandise by Sam.

“Ts there any show of our squaring things, captain?”
one of the sailors asked, humbly. “ You’re short-handed
now, an’ we’d be willin’ to do the work of half a dozen
men as long as you should say, on any kind of allowance,
if we could mend matters.”

“Do you think murder can be wiped out as readily
as that?”

“But we didn’t take a hand in any, sir. It was the
coolies as did the killin’. Mr. Bean can tell you that.”

« But you are equally guilty with them; because, unless
you had agreed to assist, they would not have attempted
to take the brig.”

“T ain’t denyin’ it, sir, nor won’t try to crawl out of
what I’ve done by whinin’; but, if you ’ll only say the
word, me an’ my mate’ll show you that we’ve got the