In the first of the struggle Gray had called upon the Spaniards to board the steamer, which they had done, and now the whole five of the smugglers were on the deck of the Salihé. The situation looked very discouraging to Louis when he saw that the enemy had obtained a foothold, and he realized that he ought to have menaced those in the boat with the revolvers of his party. But he could not have reached the standing-room directly without passing the Scotchman, who would have disputed his passage. The Spaniards disappeared behind the cabin; but in a minute more they fell upon the rear of the party, and made them prisoners. CHAPTER VII THE BIG FOUR AS PRISONERS IN THE CABIN Louis Belgrave had taken it for granted that the Spaniards would move forward to the support of the Scotchman, who was doing better with the aid of the tiller in his encounter with Scott. He expected the attack would be made in front, and while he was considering whether or not his party should use their revolvers, the smugglers fell upon Felix and himself in the rear, for he had sent Morris to the wheel, and they were tightly hugged, with their arms pinned to their sides by the four Spaniards. While the struggle between Scott and Gray was going on, Louis discovered that the steamer was headed towards the shore, and it was evident to him that the pilot's fastenings at the wheel had given away. The Salihé was therefore liable to stick in the mud at any moment; and he had sent Morris to the pilot-house to steer the boat, for he was the youngest of the big four, and the least serviceable in the defence of the craft. As soon as Louis and Felix were fast in the embrace of two of the Spaniards, Diego rushed into the pilot-house, and overthrew Morris at the wheel. The plucky little fellow had drawn his revolver; but the leader had cautioned them not to fire, and he returned the weapon to his pocket. He was no match for the stalwart smuggler, and he was thrown on the floor. Diego called to the third of his men on the deck, and directed him to tie the hands of all the prisoners behind them, which he did as soon as he could find the cords for the purpose. Diego was the leader of the Spaniards, and probably the captain of the small vessel to be towed out of the bay. He kept his foot on the prostrate form of poor Morris while he threw over the wheel, and headed the steamer for the mouth of the Palmones. When Louis had been bound with his hands behind him, he turned his attention to Scott, who was still holding his own with the Scotchman. The blows with the tiller and the saw were now few and far between, for both of them seemed to be tired out by the fury of the struggle. "No use, Scott," called Louis. "You had better give it up, and we will make the best of the situation. All but you are prisoners; you cannot beat off the whole of them alone, and you had better surrender."