he watched in concealment,
and in a short time saw a boat
leave the ship and make for the shore.
Eleven men landed, and Crusoe saw that
while most of them dispersed about the
island, three kept by themselves and ap-
peared to be much dejected. When the
others were out of hearing,
Crusoe approached these three
and began to question them, and
found that they were English, that one
was the captain of the ship, and that the
others were the mate and a passenger,
that there had been a mutiny on board,
and that the men, as a favor, instead of
killing them, were going to leave them
on the island.

Crusoe offered to aid them to recover
the ship, and going back to the castle,
brought guns and gave them to them.
Then they waited for the men who were
scattered about the island to return,
and when they came, shot two, who, the

 

captain said, were leaders in the mischief,
and the others, taken by surprise, cried out for pardon. This the cap-
tain granted on condition that they would return to their duty, and
swear to assist him in recovering the ship, to which they all agreed,
many of them gladly, for they had been forced into the mutiny by
some of the bolder and more vicious spirits among them.

The task of taking the ship was postponed until midnight, when
most of those aboard would be asleep. Those on watch, when they
saw the boat approach, supposed it was merely the sailors who had
gone ashore returning after disposing of the prisoners, and they
were heldin chat until the party got aboard, when they were im-

mediately-knocked down and

© : secured. Then all the hat-

ches were fastened, so that

those below decks were made
prisoners.

When this was done, the
captain ordered the mate with
three men to break into the
round-house, where the rebel
captain lay. He _ having
taken the alarm, had got up,
and with two others had
seized fire-arms, with which,
when the mate split open
the door, they fired amengst
the attackers, wounding the
mate, but killing nobody.
The mate calling for help,