"We sail from here directly," he said, "and as I don't want to be hard on men who have got to work for me, I am going to make you an offer, on which condition you can have your liberty on deck. I shall make the same offer to you all, though I suppose there will be some fools among you who will not take it. What I propose is this, that such of you as like to swear you will make no attempt to escape or fight against me can go about, except at night, when you will all be locked up again; but you have to bear this in mind, that anyone who runs from his promise will be shot like a dog, or pitched over to the sharks. Now then, captain, will you help to navigate the ship?" "No, sir," was the reply. "Well, Mr Parkley, my disappointed speculator, what do you say?" "I have nothing to say to such a scoundrel," replied Mr Parkley. "You will stop on deck, doctor?" "I shall stay with my friends, sir." "So shall I," said Mr Wilson, stoutly. "As you like. I needn't ask you, I suppose, my clever diver, but you had better stay and get strong," said Laure, with a sneering laugh; "you will have plenty to do by-and-by." Dutch made no reply, but looked defiance. "Just as you like," said the Cuban, grimly. "Now, you two sailors, stop and help work the ship, and you shall have four times the pay that those fools were going to give you. I'll give you a heap of ingots apiece." Lennie and Rolls were evidently tempted, but they looked at Sam Oakum, who was cutting off a piece of tobacco in the most nonchalant way. "Well, why don't you speak?" cried Laure sharply. "'Cause we're a-going to do same as him," growled Rolls, nodding at Oakum. "And what are you going to do, Sam Oakum?" cried Laure, who was getting wroth at his plan for reducing his prisoners being foiled. "Come, my man, I'll make it well worth your while to turn over on my side. The game's up with those you have served, and if you hold out you will be forced to work with a pistol at your head; but if you come over to me, and help me well to navigate the ship, and get the treasure from a couple more galleons, I'll make you a rich man for life." This was a painful moment for Dutch and his friends, for, instead of indignantly refusing, the old sailor, whom they thought so staunch, hesitated, and turned and whispered to Rasp, who was by his side. "Come, look sharp I've no time for fooling," cried Laure. "What do you say?" Oakum looked at his fellow-prisoners, then at Rasp and the two sailors, and gave his quid a fresh turn before speaking. "S'pose I says, `No; I'll stick trumps to my old skipper?'" he growled. "Well, then," said Laure, showing his teeth, "you'll have to work twice as hard, you'll have three days given you to carry the schooner to the next sunken wreck, and if you don't do it in that time I shall send a bullet through your head."