Part 7 (1/2)

Doctor Henderson appeared to be too thoroughly paralysed with surprise and consternation to say or do anything just then; but Mr Gaunt at once rose to his feet, and, laying his hand kindly on the young fellow's shoulder, said:

”There, don't give way, Ned, I ought not to have spoken so harshly, but I was rather 'taken aback' as you sailors say. Sit down, my lad, and tell us all about it, and then we must see if we cannot devise a means to recover possession of the s.h.i.+p, and restore their freedom to poor Captain Blyth and Mr Manners.”

Quickly recovering his self-control, Ned seated himself on the edge of his bunk, and briefly related to his astonished listeners all that had occurred during the preceding night, winding up by saying:

”As to retaking the s.h.i.+p, I am afraid there is scarcely a chance of our succeeding in that, for the entire crew seem to have been completely won over by that fellow Williams, and to be thoroughly united in their determination to try their fortunes as pirates--for that, as I understand it, is what it all amounts to; so you see there are only our three selves against all hands for'ard--for they seem determined to keep poor Captain Blyth and Manners close prisoners until they can be landed somewhere--and what can we three do against so many? Moreover, I have been ordered to particularly impress upon you that, whilst the mutineers are at present extremely averse to bloodshed, anything like a suspicious action on your part will be looked upon as premeditated treachery, _and treated as such_. Those were Williams' very words. So, whilst I shall be only too glad to take my part in any feasible scheme which you may be able to devise, I feel it my duty to warn you that we must all act with the utmost circ.u.mspection.”

This announcement made the gentlemen look rather blank again.

”Um!” at length said Mr Gaunt. ”The further we advance with this business the more serious does its aspect become. I have no very great fancy just now for being landed anywhere but at Melbourne; nevertheless, as matters now are, I can easily conceive a state of things which would make us glad enough to be all safely quit of the s.h.i.+p, even if we had to leave her for a raft. We must be circ.u.mspect, as you say, Ned, ay, even to the extent of not being seen talking much together. But we will keep our thoughts busy, and if a scheme occurs to either of us that person must contrive an opportunity to communicate it as briefly as may be to the others. Meanwhile, you will be doing good service if you can manage to sound the better-disposed portion of the crew, with a view to ascertaining whether it would be possible to win them back to their allegiance. And now, Henderson, the best thing we can do, I think, will be to return to our respective cabins and break this news as gently as possible to our wives; they _must_ know it--it would be quite impossible to long conceal the fact of the mutiny from them--and we are the most suitable bearers of the intelligence to them. Well, good-bye for the present, Ned, and do not forget that you may depend upon us at any hour of the day or night. Is not that so, Henderson?”

”Yes, certainly, of course,” was the reply. ”I am too much astonished to say much just now, but I shall not be found wanting when the time for action arrives. Good-bye, Ned!”

And with a cordial shake of Ned's hand, the two quiet, unpretending- looking men filed out and re-entered their respective cabins.

CHAPTER SEVEN.

ANXIOUS DAYS.

Upon learning the news of the mutiny the ladies were, as might be expected, overwhelmed with consternation and dismay, feelings which were intensified when it was further intimated to them, through Ned, that Williams intended henceforward to take up his abode in the cabin, and that he should expect all the pa.s.sengers to favour him with their company at meals, and, in fact, whensoever he might choose to join them.

So impertinent a message naturally excited at the outset a great deal of indignation; but Mr Gaunt--who seemed to rise to the occasion, and who, immediately upon the occurrence of the crisis, instinctively a.s.sumed the direction of affairs--soon brought the little party to reason when they a.s.sembled in the saloon for a hurried conference, by pointing out to them that, for the present, at least, they were quite helpless, and that, therefore, instead of struggling against what was unavoidable, their best plan would be to humour the whims of the mutineers, so long, of course, as they were not too outrageous, and to quietly bide their time in the hope that an opportunity might present itself for turning the tables upon the crew. And he emphasised his proposition by so many convincing arguments that, when breakfast was announced by the steward, the entire party presented themselves at table, the ladies making such a successful effort to conceal their perturbation as to thoroughly astonish Williams when that worthy made his appearance and established himself at the head of the table.

”Good-morning, ladies and gentlemen,” said he, making a not ungraceful bow as he seated himself. ”Hope you all slept well.”

”Thank you,” said Mr Gaunt; ”yes, I believe we all enjoyed a fairly good night's rest; thanks to our ignorance of what was going forward.”

”Ah, yes,” answered Williams with a somewhat constrained laugh and an obviously embarra.s.sed manner; ”yes, we took the liberty of making a change or two for the better during the night.”

”For the better?” repeated Gaunt. ”Pray how can you demonstrate that the changes you have effected are for the better?”

”Well, I'll tell you,” answered Williams. ”I'm glad you've asked, as it gives me an opportunity to explain the why and the wherefore of our acts, and to show you that we are not, after all, quite such villains as I daresay you now think us. First and foremost,” he continued, ”I suppose I need not point out to gentlemen of your intelligence and experience that sailors--foremast men, that is to say--lead the hardest lives and are the worst paid for it of any set of men living?”

”Well,” said Mr Gaunt, ”without being prepared to go so far as that I am quite willing to admit that the life of a seaman is a hard one. But what has that to do with your mutiny? In the first place, I suppose you joined the s.h.i.+p voluntarily; and, in the next, it seems to me, from what I have seen, that you have been made as comfortable on board here as was possible under the circ.u.mstances. Your food has been good and sufficient, your quarters are dry, airy, and comfortable, and surely it would be difficult to find more considerate officers than Captain Blyth and his mates?”

”All very true, so far as it goes,” answered Williams, ”but would _you_ like to be a seaman before the mast?”

”No,” said Mr Gaunt, ”I frankly admit I should not; otherwise, I suppose I should have been a seaman, and not a civil engineer. But the life was of your own choosing, I presume?”

”Yes, it was, and I don't complain of it,” said Williams. ”The thing I complain of is, that, seeing what a life of hards.h.i.+p and peril ours is, we do not get paid a half nor a quarter enough. What would be the use of s.h.i.+ps without sailors to man them? We are just as necessary to a s.h.i.+p as her captain; yet look at the difference in his pay and ours! I say it is not fair; it is rank injustice; sailors have just been _robbed_ all these years, and the long and the short of it is that the crew of this s.h.i.+p means to get back part of what has been stolen from them by the dishonesty of s.h.i.+powners.”

”But, my good fellow,” exclaimed the engineer, ”you are taking an altogether wrong view of the question. Admitting that you are as necessary to the s.h.i.+p as her captain, you entirely overlook the important fact that _one_ captain is sufficient for a s.h.i.+p, no matter how large she may be, whilst _one_ seaman alone is of very trifling value; hence the difference in the scale of pay.”

It was clear enough from the expression of the mutineer's face that this view of the question had never before been presented to him; he was completely ”taken aback,” and for a minute or two could find absolutely nothing to say.

”Well!” he exclaimed at last, ”it is clear enough that it is no use for an ignorant man like me to try to argue with an educated gentleman like you; you are bound to go to wind'ard of me the very first tack, and I was a fool for attempting it. But there are other matters which, in my opinion, fully justify the step we have taken.”

”The fellow may _call_ himself an ignorant man, but his language is that of a person who has enjoyed at least some of the benefits of education,”

thought Gaunt. But he merely said: