I offered to take Mr Frewen's place, but he would not hear of it, and matters were compromised by my taking him his breakfast, when some provisions had hastily been placed on the saloon-table; and carrying mine with me, together with a box for our table, dragged down close to the barricade, and between it and the door, we made a hearty meal. The ladies had come out of their cabins, and I saw how eager Miss Denning was to attend upon her brother and Mr Brymer, for whom, in his wounded state, she seemed to be full of sympathy. Then after attending upon him, she flitted to the captain's side, while from time to time Mr Frewen looked on, and appeared to be wishing that he too was wounded so as to be waited upon like that. At last the captain spoke. "There, my dear," he cried, "not another mouthful for me if you don't go to your place by your brother, and have something to eat yourself." "Oh, but I can have something at any time, Captain Berriman, when you are all busy protecting us." "No," cried Captain Berriman, "not another mouthful." And he spoke so emphatically, that Miss Denning glanced at her brother, and then at a nod went and sat down. I noticed that in spite of our position, everybody was making an effort to treat the trouble coolly; even Mr Frewen smiled at me, after glancing through the narrow opening. "Come, Dale, lad, eat away. Don't say you've got no appetite." "Oh, I'm pretty hungry, sir," I replied; "but all this in the night isn't the sort of thing to make one want his breakfast." "Don't despair, my lad, it will come all right. Why, they must have given us nearly all the powder in those two bags you brought in, and if they don't mind, you and I will make a contrivance to hoist them with their own petard. But I don't want to shed blood if I can help it." "No," I said, with a shudder, "it is too horrid." Mr Frewen looked at me searchingly. "Only," he continued slowly, "if blood is to be shed, and by none of our seeking, it is our duty to see that it is the blood of the villains who have turned upon us and set the law at defiance. Do you see that, Dale?" "Yes," I said, "I see that, and of course we cannot be expected to be merciful to them who would blow us up with gunpowder. Why, they wouldn't have cared if the ladies had been injured as well as the men." "You are quite right." "But you did not shoot Jarette this morning, sir," I said, and I believe that my eyes twinkled mischievously at being able to confute him. "No, Dale," he said, "I couldn't. Doctors have spent all their time learning how to save life, and it would have been such a cold-blooded act." "But if you had shot him, sir, the mutiny would have been at an end." "Unless your messmate, Walters, had constituted himself captain, and carried on the war." "He!" I cried contemptuously. "Why, I'd go and fetch him out by one ear the same as a dog or a pig out of a drove. I believe, sir, that he is a regular coward and sneak."