"Ah, that's right. Nobody there, I suppose?" The voice was quite close to the door now, and a shadow was cast down into the darkened cabin. "Oh yes, sir, there's some one down here," said Bob. "We haven't taken the schooner after all." "What!" "It's all right, sir," said Mark, stepping out on to the deck to face Mr Staples. "We took the schooner." "Mr Vandean! Bless me, my dear boy, I am glad to see you again. We thought you were gone. But in the name of all that's horrible, how did you come in this state?" "State, sir?" said Mark, who had for the moment forgotten his injuries. "My dear boy, yes; why, you haven't a bit of hair on face or head, and you're black as a negro." "I'd forgotten, sir. It was the powder." "Powder! an explosion?" "Yes, sir; no, sir." "Mr Vandean," cried the lieutenant, "do you want to aggravate me?" "No, sir," cried Mark; and he told him hastily what had taken place. "Lucky for you that you did stop the train," cried the lieutenant; "why, my good sir, it was too desperate; not one of you would have been left alive. But where is Mr Russell?" "In the cabin, sir, wounded." "Tut--tut--tut! Signal for the surgeon, Mr Howlett," he cried; and Bob went off, while the lieutenant looked sharply around. "Where are the rest of your men?" "Dance and Grote are in the other schooner we took, sir." "Another? Well, this is a curious state of affairs. You are left in charge of a prize--" "Yes, sir, and we lost her and took her again, and then captured a second prize. Dance and Grote have charge of her. Haven't you seen her, sir?" "No--yes. Of course, that is the vessel we sighted just before we attacked here to-day. But the other three men?" "Don't know, sir, unless they are prisoners in the forecastle." "Go and see, my lads," cried the lieutenant; and, to the delight of their messmates, the others were set free from where they had been imprisoned. "Then we are all accounted for," said Mark, holding his hand to his burning face, "But where are the Yankees, sir?" "Oh, they performed their old manoeuvre," said the lieutenant, bitterly; "as soon as we set off from the _Nautilus_ to board, they took to the boat they had ready trailing alongside, and made for the shore, where I hope the niggers'll catch 'em and turn 'em into slaves. Hah, here comes Mr Whitney! Poor Russell! has he been long like this?" "Yes, sir; all the time since the Yankees came off in their boat and surprised us." "Then you--you--Why, Mr Vandean, you don't mean to say you've been in command all the time?" "Yes, sir," said Mark, modestly. "Fillot has been my first lieutenant." "Humph! the forecastle joker, eh?" said Mr Staples, grimly. "No, sir, there has been no joking," said Mark. "It has been too serious for that." "So I should suppose, my lad. Hah, Whitney, here's work for you. Poor Russell again. Been insensible for days."