These were the governor"s orders.
It was then agreed that the captain, with all the men he could trust, should go out to the ship. I and my man Friday were to stay on shore to watch the prisoners.
The hole in the bottom of the long boat was soon mended. Four men, with the passenger as their leader, went out in this. The captain, with five men, went out in the other boat.
It was after midnight when they reached the ship.
The men on board were taken by surprise, for they thought that these were their friends who were but just then returning to the ship.
They even threw a rope to them and helped them on board, never suspecting that anything was wrong.
The whole business was managed well. The second mate and the carpenter, who were among the leaders in the plot, were soon overpowered.
The rebel captain, the worst of the crew, was asleep in his berth. He sprang up and showed fight. He shot three times at the captain"s party, wounding the mate but touching no one else.
The mate, wounded as he was, raised his musket and fired. The rebel captain fell to the deck with a bullet through his head.
The rest, seeing that they were without leaders, fell upon their knees and begged for their lives.
Thus the captain became again the master of his own ship.
I HAVE A NEW SUIT OF CLOTHES
THE next morning I slept quite late in my hammock
All at once I was awakened by the sound of a gun
Then I heard some one calling me
I hurried out
He grasped my hand and pointed to the sea
The weather being fair
"My dear friend