I turned to Mr Frewen, who was bending down over Walters, and was about to point out the face at the window, but it disappeared. "How is he?" I asked. "Very bad," was the laconic answer, and I could not help shuddering as I looked at the pinched, changed features of my messmate, as he lay there in the bottom of the boat, evidently quite insensible. "I must not move him now," said Mr Frewen gravely. And turning to Dumlow he was about to offer to dress the wound better now that he could see, but the great fellow only laughed. "It'll do, sir," he said. "There's nothing much the matter. I'm not going to make a fuss over that. It's just a pill as old Frenchy give me. If it gets worse I'll ask you for a fresh touch up." There appeared to be so little the matter with the man that Mr Frewen did not press for an examination, and he joined me in searching the ship with our eyes, but there was no one at the round window. "Can you see any one on board, sir?" I said. "Only one man. But he is evidently watching us." "Where? I can't see any one." "In the main-top." I had not raised my eyes from the deck, but now as I looked aloft, there was a man plainly enough, and he was, as Mr Frewen said, watching us. Directly after, I saw him descend, and we neither of us had any doubt about its being Jarette. Our attention was now directed to Mr Brymer, who, being in command, had, directly the light made such action possible, begun to see how we poor wretches afloat in an open boat, eight hundred or a thousand miles from land, were situated for water and food, and he soon satisfied himself that our enemy, possibly for his own sake, had been extremely merciful and considerate. For there were two breakers of water, a couple of kegs of biscuit, and a quantity of tins of provision, which had been pitched down anyhow. There was a compass too, and the regular fit out of the boat, spars and two sails, so that if the water kept calm, and gentle breezes sprung up, there was no reason why we should not safely reach land. But we did not wish to safely reach land in that way, and the exaltation in Mr Brymer's face and tone was due to the power which Jarette had unwittingly placed in our leader's hands. "He never thought of it; he could not have thought of it," said Mr Brymer. "Of course in a gale of wind we shall be nowhere, but if the weather is kindly, we can hang about the ship, or sail round her if we like, and so weary him out, that sooner or later our chance must come for surprising him." "Without any arms," said Mr Preddle, shaking his head sadly. "We must use brains instead, sir," replied Mr Brymer. "Jarette mastered us by means of cunning, we must fight him with his own weapons. Dale, I shall have to depend on you to carry out a plan I have ready." "Yes, sir," I said eagerly; "what is it?"