He stepped into the cabin for a moment or two, to find that the lieutenant was lying in his bed place, perfectly insensible, while the marines, with their pieces in hand, were waiting fresh orders.

The difficulty was to give those orders, and turn which way he would there was a pair of eyes fixed upon him.

He had never before understood the responsibility of a commanding officer in a time of emergency, and how great a call there would be upon him for help, guidance, and protection. One thing, however, he kept before his eyes, and that was the idea that he must retake the cutter, and how to do it with the least loss of life was the problem to be solved.

In his extremity he called a council of war under the big lantern, with Billy Waters, the corporal of marines, and the boatswain for counsellors, and took their opinions.

"Well, sir, if it was me in command I should do as I said afore," said Billy Waters cheerfully. "A lot o' powder would rift that there cabin-hatch right off; and them as guards it."

"Yes, and kill the lieutenant and half the men below," said Hilary.

"What do you say, corporal?"

"I think bayonets is the best things, sir," replied the corporal.

"Yes," exclaimed Hilary, "if you've got a chance to use them. What do you say, bo'sun?"

"Well, your honour, it seems as how we shall get into no end of a pickle if we let these here smugglers capter the _Kestrel_, so I think we'd best go below and scuttle her. It wouldn't take long."

"Well, but, my good fellow, don't you see that we should be scuttling ourselves too?" cried Hilary.

"Oh! no, sir, I don't mean scuttle ourselves. I only mean the cutter.

She'd soon fill. We'd go off in the boats."

"How?"

The boatswain did not seem to have taken this into consideration at all, but stood scratching his head till he scratched out a bright thought.

"Couldn't we let them on deck know as we're going to scuttle her, sir, and then they'd sheer off, and as soon as they'd sheered off we wouldn't scuttle her, but only go up and take possession."

"Now, Jack Brown, how can you be such a fool?" cried Hilary, impatiently. "They're sharp smugglers who have seized the _Kestrel_, and not a pack of babies. Can't you suggest something better than that?"

"Well, sir, let's scuttle her, and let them know as she's sinking, and as soon as they've sheered off stop the leaks."

"Oh! you great bullet-head," cried Hilary angrily. "How could we?"

"Very sorry, sir," growled the man humbly; "I don't know, sir. I can trim and bend on sails, and overhaul the rigging as well as most bo'suns, sir, but I never did have no head for figgers."

"Figures!" cried Hilary, impatiently. "There, that'll do. Hark! What are they doing on deck?"

"Seems to me as if they're getting all sail set," growled the boatswain.

"And they'll run us over to the coast of France," cried Hilary excitedly. "We shall be prisoners indeed."

He drew his breath in between his teeth, and stamped on the deck in his impotent rage.

"There!" he said, at last, as the crew stood impatiently awaiting the result of their consultation. "It's of no use for me to bully you, my lads, for not giving me ideas, when I can find none myself. You are all right. We'll try all your plans, for the scoundrels must never sail the _Kestrel_ into a French port with us on board. Waters, we'll blow up the hatchway--but the fore-hatchway, not the cabin. Corporal, you and your lads shall give them a charge with bayonets. And lastly, if both these plans fail Jack Brown and the carpenter shall scuttle the little cutter; we may perhaps save our lives in the confusion."

It was a sight to see the satisfied grin that shone out on each of the rough fellows' faces, upon finding that their ideas were taken. It was as if each had grown taller, and they smiled at each other and at the young officer in a most satisfied way. Hilary did not know it; but that stroke of involuntary policy on his part had raised him enormously in the estimation of the crew; and the little council being dissolved, it was wonderful with what alacrity they set to work.

For the gunner's plan was at once adopted, and in perfect silence a bed of chests was raised up close beneath the fore-hatchway, whose ladder was cautiously removed. On this pile were placed hammocks, and again upon these short planks, so that the flat surface was close up to the square opening that led from the forecastle on deck.

"You see, sir, the charge won't leave much room to strike sidewise,"

said the gunner, as he helped to get all ready, ending by emptying the bags of powder that formed four charges for the long gun. These he rolled up in a handkerchief, tied it pretty tightly, and before putting it in place he made a hole in it, so that some of the powder would trickle out on to the smooth plank.

This being done, he laid a train from it to the end of the plank, made a slow-match with some wet powder and a piece of paper, and finished by raising the planks by stuffing blankets under them at Hilary's suggestion, till the powder charge was right up in the opening of the hatch, surrounded by the coamings, and the planks rested up against the deck.

"If that there don't fetch 'im off, I'm a Dutchman," said Billy Waters.

"Here, just you keep that there lantern back, will you," he cried to the corporal of marines; "we don't want her fired before her time."

"Yes, that will do," cried Hilary. "There, stand by, my lads, and the moment the charge is fired make a dash for it with the ladder, and up and clear the deck whether I lead you or no."

There was something in those words that the men could not then understand, but they did as the gunner declared all to be ready.

"Hush! silence, my lads," cried Hilary. "Away aft, and all lie down.

Now, Waters, give me the lantern."

"I'll fire the train, sir. I'm gunner," said the man.

"No, no," replied Hilary, "that is my task."

"But, if you please, sir, you might get hit, and then--"

"Silence, sir! I'll fire the train," cried Hilary, sternly. "Away aft with the men; and look, Mr Waters, my good fellow, if I go down I trust to you to retake the cutter."

"All right, sir," said the gunner. "Well, sir, if you will do it, here's my last words: open your lantern and just touch the end of the paper, then close and run aft. One touch does it; so go on, and good luck to you!"

The young officer nodded and took the lantern, while the gunner joined the men as far aft as they could go. There was something very strange and unreal to him as he took a couple of steps or so forward, and listened to the noise of men above, hesitating for the moment as he thought of the life he was about to destroy, and mentally praying that Sir Harry Norland might not be near. Then duty rea.s.serted itself, and, not knowing whether he might not be about to destroy the vessel, and with it his own life, he slowly opened the door of the lantern.

What was it to be--life and liberty, or death and destruction? He could not say, but feeling that he ought to stick at nothing to try and retake the cutter, he held the flame of the wretched purser's dip in the lantern to the powder-besmeared paper, and there was on the instant an answering burst of tiny sparks.

CHAPTER FIVE.

A MISSING ENEMY.

As the slow-match began to sputter Hilary drew back, closed the door of the lantern, and walked backwards aft, towards where the men were gathered. The desire was strong upon him to run and rush right into the far corner of the cabin; but he was a king's officer, and the men looked up to him for example, so he told himself that he could not show the white feather.

Fortunately he was able to keep up his dignity and retreat in safety to where the men were crouching down, and, joining them, he too a.s.sumed a reclining position upon the deck, and watched the sparkling of the piece of paper in the darkness of the forepart of the cutter.

Sparkle, sparkle, sparkle, with plenty of scintillation; like some little firework made for their amus.e.m.e.nt, but no sign of the train being fired.

On deck there was an ominous silence, as if the smugglers had received warning of the coming danger, and they too were watching for the explosion.

More sparkling and more bright flashes of light, and yet the train did not catch. Never had moments seemed to Hilary so long before, and he felt sure that the slow-match had not been connected with the train, as it must have fired before now.

Then as he waited he wondered what would be the effect of the explosion, and whether it would do more harm than blow off the hatch. He hoped not, for Sir Henry's sake; and there were moments during that terribly lengthy time of watching when he hoped that after all the plan had failed, for it seemed too terrible, and he would gladly have run forward and dashed the light aside.