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The first one was, that if by any means we could catch Jarette, the mutiny would all fall to pieces; but then the job was to catch the rascal, and that puzzled me. It was very close to daylight; and cold, low-spirited, and miserable, I was beginning to think that between the storm and the men below, the poor old Burgh Castle must come to grief, when Bob Hampton came up glistening in his oilskins.
"Mus' have little drop more, skipper," cried one of the men. "No," he roared, "not a drop, and it shall be allowances from this night." "But there's heaps o' good stuff spoiling, skipper." "I'll spoil you, you dog," snarled Jarette, and I saw him snatch a lantern from one of the men and lean down, holding the light over the open hold.
"Pig cochon!" yelled Jarette, and there was a flash of light and a sharp report as he fired a pistol to hit the sailor, or perhaps only to frighten us, for no harm was done. "Silence, man, don't exasperate him," whispered a voice from close by where I sat, and I knew that if I raised my hand I could have touched Mr Frewen. "All right, sir," growled Bob, and Jarette spoke now.
Jarette made no reply, but glanced quickly round to satisfy himself that we were not taking advantage of the storm to try and escape, while Mr Frewen rose as if he had expected to be called. "You want me to come and see the captain?" he said quietly.
But we did not wish to safely reach land in that way, and the exaltation in Mr Brymer's face and tone was due to the power which Jarette had unwittingly placed in our leader's hands. "He never thought of it; he could not have thought of it," said Mr Brymer.
Lie down, will yer?" he roared, as he gave the side of the hatch so fierce a kick that I thought his heavy boot would have gone through. There was a heavy rustling sound, and the grumbling of voices plainly heard now, for the wind was rapidly falling. "That was French Jarette a-listening, sir, for a penny-piece," whispered Bob, for it was growing possible to whisper now.
"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 nobody at all 'cept for him to cuss at." "That was so," growled Hampton.
I must have grown a little more sensible then, for I recognised the voices as some one gave me a rude thrust with the foot. "This boy's dead enough," and the words sounded so sharp and cruel that they quite stung me. "I think he is," said another voice, which I knew to be that of Walters. "Oh yes; try him," said the first speaker, Jarette, I was certain.
You see Mr Walters couldn't forget that he had been an officer, and Jarette couldn't forget he had been a fore-mast man, and feel jealous of Mr Walters, who used to make-believe amongst the men that he was the real captain of the ship, and that everything depended upon him.
"Mr Brymer can do as he likes, of course, Mr Dale, but I should just trust them two chaps as far as I could see 'em." "They'll be all right while we have the upper hand, Bob," I said, "and go against us if Jarette beats us." "That's it, sir. You're as right as you can get. I'm friendly with 'em, of course; but I've got my eyes open, and they don't go nigh that hatch while I'm on deck."
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