Sail Ho! Part 45

"We don't want you, dog!" cried Mr Frewen.

"Down with you!" roared Mr Brymer, as the hatch flew up, and there was a flash and report, which the man waited for, and then leaped.

"Down with you!" cried Mr Brymer again, but the other two men hesitated, and were hanging back. The next moment they went down headlong, impelled as they were by Bob Hampton and Dumlow.

"There," cried Bob Hampton, as we all stood there breathless with excitement, and quite forgetful of the storm raging round us, "if anybody had told me, Neb, as Barney would have been such a cur, I'd ha'

hit him in the mouth for a liar."

"Yah!" growled Dumlow, "and I've shook hands with him and called him 'mate' scores o' times. Yah!"

"Never mind, gents, we've done it, eh?" cried Bob Hampton.

"G.o.d bless you both for true men!" cried Mr Brymer, holding out his hands to them, and for a few minutes there was a general hand-shaking all round.

"But we're forgetting the men at the wheel," said Mr Frewen. "How many are there? Two?"

"Oh, they're a couple o' soft Tommy sort of chaps," said Bob Hampton.

"I can settle them two with one hand. That arn't the worst on it, sir; we've got to tackle Barney Blane. No, I won't do it for fear I should finish him, and you'd best steer out o' that job, Neb."

"If I don't, I shall sarve him like a wornut, mate."

"Dessay you would, my lad. We'll sponge over the two lads at the wheel while the gents does Barney. Hit him, gents, or shoot him somewhere low down, for he desarves it; all I wonder now is as he did not split all about it to old Frenchy."

"We could all deal with him," said Mr Frewen. "You two men come with us, and you, Dale, keep guard here with Mr Preddle. A shout will bring us back directly."

"Right, sir," I said, in a disappointed tone, and then I brightened up, for he told Dumlow to stop instead.

"Don't be long," said Mr Preddle. "I want to see to my fish."

"On'y to think, gents," growled Bob Hampton, holding a lantern while Mr Brymer and the doctor thrust fresh cartridges into their pistols, "the skipper--I mean Frenchy--sends Barney aft to speak to the men at the wheel, for they were steering anyhow, and he knowed as this game was going to be played, and--Eh? Well, what are you laughing at, Mr Dale?

What have I said wrong?"

For I had burst into a roar of laughter, in which Mr Frewen joined.

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR.

"That's one enemy the less to deal with," cried the mate, as we went aft, followed by the sailor. "Only a couple of them to tackle."

"I makes three of 'em, sir," said Hampton, "so don't you make no mistake. Barney will be as nasty as nasty at seeing hisself the wrong side, and find as he can fight when he likes."

"Our friend Barney is already accounted for, Hampton," cried Mr Frewen.

"What?--you have tackled him?" said Bob Hampton excitedly, slapping his knee.

"Yes, that we have, Bob," I cried, "and he is quite safe."

"Then I scuses you all for laughing, gentlemen; though it did seem rather a rum thing to me for you to be a-busting out in a loud grin at a serus time like this. I see now. You met him then?"

"Yes, we met him," replied Mr Frewen, leading the way up the ladder to the p.o.o.p-deck, "but he must wait."

He c.o.c.ked his pistol as he reached the top, and we did the same.

"Shall I speak 'em first, gentlemen?" said Bob Hampton, in a low voice.

"Yes, tell them to surrender," said the mate. "We don't want any more fighting; and look here, Hampton, we want their help to navigate the ship."

"I know, sir," growled the old sailor, and stepping to the front he walked straight to where the two men still kept to their posts at the wheel, knowing as they did that to leave it meant throwing the ship into the trough of the sea to be deluged by every wave.

"Game's up, my lads!" shouted Hampton. "Orficers has got the upper hand on us with loaded pistols, and you've got to knuckle down same as we have, and return to your dooty."

"All right, messmate," said one of the men, shouting back so as to make his voice heard, "I don't mind; on'y what about Frenchy?"

"Ay, what about Frenchy?" cried the other. "We don't want him to come cussin' us and saying it's all t'other way on."

"Frenchy's down in the fork'sle, with the hatch over him, and two men with loaded pistols keeping guard, lads."

"But s'pose he gets out again?"

"They arn't going to let him," said Bob Hampton, "so what's it to be?

I've knuckled down, and so's Neb Dumlow and Barney Blane. Are you going to return to dooty or make a fight on it? Just say sharp, 'cause we're in a hurry."

"Oh, we don't want to fight," said the first speaker, "and we didn't want to mutiny, on'y Frenchy said we was to, and we did."

"Pretty pair o' sheep you was, too, my lads, to run through a gap that way. And now look here, you, jest recklect all this; you've both got your necks in nooses, and Mr Brymer here's got hold o' the other ends of the ropes, so as he can pull 'em any time he likes, and he will too if you don't stick pretty close to your dooty. That's right, arn't it, sir?"

"Yes, that's right, Hampton," cried Mr Brymer. "You understand, then, if you do your duty now and help to navigate the ship into port, your conduct may--I say may, mind--be looked over."

"Oh, my mate and I'll stick to it, sir," said the spokesman of the two men. "Frenchy was all talk about our being orficers and gentlemen if we rose again Captain Berriman, but as soon as we did rose he pumps hisself up, and it's all Captain Jarette, and every one else is n.o.body at all 'cept for him to cuss at."

"That was so," growled Hampton.

"Yes," said the other sailor; "but I wants to know this: if we two's got our necks in the nooses, why arn't Bob Hampton and Neb Dumlow?"

"'Cause we never shoved 'em in, my lad," said Bob Hampton, with a chuckle. "It was all a paddy till we could get the genle-men out to make a fight on it. That's so, arn't it, gents?"

"Yes, my lads, Hampton, Dumlow, and Blane have been fighting for us all through."

"Oh, that's it, is it?" said the man. "Very well. Anything for a quiet life, I says; on'y how much longer are we to be at the wheel?"

"I'll have you relieved soon, my men, so do your best, and keep easing her off another point or two now and then."

"Ay; don't keep running her nose into all the big waves, mateys," cried Hampton; and then to Mr Frewen--"You won't have to shoot 'em this time, sir. They arn't a bad sort. It was all that Frenchy."

"Come to the saloon now," said Mr Frewen, and we all hurried down into the black place, and to the door of the cabin, through which we could hear a growling sound.

By this time Bob Hampton had been made fully aware of the strange state of affairs, and was indulging in several hearty chuckles at his messmate's expense. And now as I began to unfasten the door, he said quickly--