"It's Reynolds," he said, "Take me to the skipper. I want to throw myself on his mercy. Intercede for me, lad. I've had my fill of that gang yonder!" The captain and mate had joined me. "It's the first break in their ranks," he said, "and I'll take advantage of the chance to show them that they can still surrender without being strung up." He turned to me. "Give Reynolds biscuits and coffee! He will take the wheel after that, and if he fails us there we'll----" He whirled his hand around his neck and then pointed to a yardarm in a way that emphasized his meaning far more than words could have done. The surrender of Reynolds led us to hope that others were on the verge of yielding. We questioned Reynolds as he ate ravenously the food we brought him. He was whole-heartedly aiding us now, because he knew that if the mutineers triumphed it would go hard with him. He said that if we could show the men that we were powerful enough to conquer Steve Dunn and Mulligan, the ringleaders, the others would be glad to go back to work. "It's those two who're to blame for us not yielding sooner," he explained. "We had planned twelve hours ago to come out and throw ourselves on the skipper's mercy, but Mulligan knocked me down when I suggested it. He thought that he had me cowed, and that I would be afraid to make any further attempt. He stationed me as a guard at the forecastle scuttle tonight, while he planned with the others just how they would attack you. If they could get rid of the skipper and the mate, they thought it would be easy to bring the others over to their side. I expect they'll be crawling out very soon to make the attempt." "Captain," said Mr. Bludsoe, "I think I can end this. There are lads in that forecastle whom I don't want to see hung for mutiny. They resent our trying to starve them into submission, and I'm afraid the longer they go without food, the more desperate they'll become. May I promise them that if they come forth peacefully and go to work you will take no steps to enforce the laws against them?" Murad had been plainly worried by the rebellion. We were out of the track of American frigates, and we still had a long voyage before us. If a storm came, the few loyal men would find themselves overtaxed in managing the vessel, and while they were endeavoring to save the ship, the mutineers would have an opportunity to do murder. I could not help wondering, too, whether the Egyptian was not fearful as to the effect the mutiny would have on his treasure hunt, for the more I studied him, the deeper became my conviction that he had secured possession of the rector's secret, and, under the pretext of going on a trading voyage, was off on a solitary treasure quest. One of my duties was to keep the cabin clean and tidy, and when opportunity offered I had poked in chests and cubby-holes to see if I could find the rector's map of the treasure country. My hurried searches had failed thus far.