Two or three hours later Haines brought me the names of twelve Englishmen who were ready to declare war against their native land, and on the conditions already stated. I told him to bring to my cabin four of these men, some I had not yet seen, and while I was busy talking with them, to suddenly ask me to come on deck for a moment. While he was gone I shut up in the linen-locker, just off the cabin, a bright young boy from Maine, named Tom Foster, with orders to keep as quiet as a mouse, and take in all the conversation during my absence. He was just fairly stowed away when Haines came with the men. I talked with them as I did with the others, and was giving them the impression that their request would be granted, when we were interrupted by Haines, who appeared and said,-- "Will you please come on deck for a few moments, sir?" I told the men I would be back again in five or ten minutes, and then left them. When I returned, having been gone fully ten minutes, the men were in the attitude of waiting, and did not appear as though they had spoken a word during my absence. I talked with them a little while longer and then sent them forward with the same answer I had given the others. When they were gone I released Tom from his confinement; he came out very red and hot from the bad air that he was obliged to breathe in the poorly ventilated locker, and it was a minute at the least before he could speak coherently. "Soon as you was gone, sir," said Tom, "they tried the doors and looked into all the rooms, to make sure nobody could hear what they said. They weren't suspicious of the linen-locker bein' fastened, as it wasn't a place for a man to be shut up in, and was even a tight fit for such a little fellow as me. "Then one of 'em says to the others, 'It's all right, mates, and we'll have this Yankee schooner afore to-morrow morning. The captain is goin' to let us out to swear allegiance to his blarsted flag, and when we're out we'll show him a trick he won't understand till it's too late.' "Then another of 'em says, 'The Yankee'll think he's gone crazy when he finds himself a-goin' into Halifax with the British flag atop of his own, won't he, Bill?' "'Ay, that he will,' says Bill; and then they said something I couldn't understand, they spoke so low; and after that 'twasn't long before you came back to talk with 'em, sir." Thus was their plot revealed, and it was just as I had suspected. A portion of the crew would get the liberty of the deck in the manner indicated; then, at a moment agreed upon and understood by the rest of their party, the deck-watch would be overpowered, and simultaneously the hatches were to be opened, and those below would come pouring out to aid in the execution of the plot. "Keep your mouth shut, Tommy," I said to the boy, "and don't breathe a word of this to anybody. Now go and tell Mr. Haines I want to see him."