It was horrible. The ship then had been seized by the crew, headed by Jarette. Some of the men had resisted, and were prisoners in the forecastle; but Bob Hampton had gone over to the side of the mutineers, and the others were sure to follow. But the worst thing of all was the knowledge that my brother midshipman was in the mutiny, and keeping guard over the officers and passengers. And he was a gentleman's son. Here then was the explanation of his being so friendly with Jarette, and that was why he and Jarette had been up aloft in the dark. I shivered at the thought. But the next moment I was seeing something else clearly, and I guessed at two things which afterwards I found to be correct. Jarette had traded upon Walters' discontent, and won him over with, no doubt, great promises, because he would be useful; and of course I saw it plainly now it had been necessary to fasten the cabin-doors, and shut the officers in. Mr Frewen was, as I had heard, locked in his cabin. Who was there to go quietly at night and fasten their doors? No one more likely than the lad who had the run of the cabins and saloon. "No, I won't believe it," I thought the next moment. "Nic Walters couldn't be such a miserable scoundrel as that." CHAPTER ELEVEN. What was I to do? The answer came readily enough. Join your friends. But how? They were prisoners below in the cabins, and with guards set at the companion and over the sky-lights. There appeared to be no way but to go up aloft higher, crawl along some stay, and then lower myself down, and to creep through the sky-light. "And be dragged back long before I could get down, even if I could get down at all," I said to myself bitterly. That would not do; there must be some other way. "Join the mutineers," something seemed to suggest, and wait till there was a chance of leaving them and giving information to the authorities, or another ship. I couldn't do that, and even if I had felt disposed, Walters would have taken care that I was not trusted. He would have been too jealous. Feeling rested, I now began to creep up step by step so as to reach the mizzen-top, where I hoped I could remain unseen. It was ticklish work, for the men on guard by the sky-light were a very little distance away; but moving by slow degrees I climbed up at last, and lay down in comparative safety, not having been heard. I had hardly reached my hiding-place, when I heard one of the men below me say-- "Here they come," and directly after I could see ascend to the poop-deck, by the light of three lanterns the men carried, a party of about fourteen, one of whom was Jarette, another Nic Walters, and the rest were sailors, with the two rough fellows, Dumlow and Blane, firmly bound with stout line, in their midst.