At the end of two or three minutes, Oakum and Rasp, who felt that the time was not ripe, and that any attempt at resistance on their part would have resulted, as they were unarmed, in failure, saw the captain, Mr Meldon, and Wilson driven below, Mr Parkley, in his cumbersome diving suit, being thrust down directly after; and then the conquerors turned towards John Studwick, who was lying panting where he had been dashed, with his sister holding his head in her lap, while Hester had run to the side of her husband. Old Rasp ground his teeth as, at the Cuban's orders, the invalid was roughly raised by the men, in spite of Bessy's shrieks, dragged from her, and thrown down the hatchway, while Bessy was dragged to the fore cabin and thrust down there. "I'm a saving of all this up, Sam Oakum," whispered Rasp. "I shall pay it all off on Mr Blackguard here some day." "Some night," whispered Sam Oakum back in a choking voice, "and that's to-night." "What did you drag that dog here for?" cried the Cuban, now coming up, sword in hand, and making a thrust at the prostrate figure, as Hester tried to relievo Dutch of his helmet. "Here, mind what you're after," said Rasp, snappishly, warding off the blow with an iron bar. "Don't be a fool. 'Spose you spyle that ingy-rubber soot, how are we going to get another?" The Cuban turned upon him furiously, but as the quaint old fellow seemed not in the least afraid, he turned it off with a laugh. "What did I pull him up for, eh?" said Rasp. "Why, becos I haven't done with him. I haven't forgot my percentage on the silver, captain, and this one's worth half-a-dozen of that t'other old chap." "You're a strange fellow, Rasp," said the Cuban. "Strange, am I? I've been a diver this forty year a'most, and I've never had such diving as this afore. It's too good to be spyled because you get wild, so now then." "You're right, Rasp," said the Cuban, laughing, as Hester darted an indignant look at the gruff and apparently heartless old fellow. "Here, a couple of you, throw this dog down in the cabin." As a couple of the men approached, the Cuban took a turn up and down the deck, and Hester started as Rasp, while apparently leaning over the helmet, whispered: "Don't you resist, my pretty one, but go as he tells you; there's help a coming." Laure turned sharply back, stooped down, and caught the trembling woman by the wrist. "Enough of this," he exclaimed sharply, for one peculiarity of the man was that every time he was about to proceed to some act of violence he worked himself into a rage. "You come to me now." Hester hung back from him and tried to cling to her prostrate husband, but, remembering the words of old Rasp, she suffered Laure to lead her forward. "That's more sensible," he said, with a look that made her shrink. "To-morrow we will change cabins with those aft."