With the last word he turned and went up the companionway, more to give the girl time to recover herself than because of any desire to see Jackson. As he reached the top of the stairs his foot struck something, and he stooped and picked up a pistol wrapped round with a half-sheet of paper. Wonderingly he took it to the lamp. He read: I know where Forbes keeps his rifles. Mrs. Joyce is going to get some of them for us. I’m going back to help. I leave my pistol in case I don’t get back. Anyhow, I guess you’d rather be alone to-night. JACKSON. P.S.--That was a great match.--J. Howard laughed bitterly. Then he turned and descended the stairs. “Jackson has gone on an errand to Mrs. Joyce,” he said. “He left his pistol for you. After what has happened, he thinks, and I think, that you had better be armed. If any man--if _any_ man molests you do not hesitate to use it. I believe you told me once that you were rather a good shot.” It had been no part of Howard’s intention to spend the night upon the Queen. He had no faith in Forbes’s protestations of fair play, and felt certain that he would hear from that individual very shortly and in unpleasant fashion. Although he scarcely expected any attack that night, doubting Forbes’s ability to bring his men to the fighting point so speedily, he intended to take no chances, and to seek sleeping quarters on some near-by vessel. But Dorothy’s fear of himself and her very evident nearness to collapse, taken with Jackson’s unexpected departure, had knocked his plans completely on the head. After Dorothy had retired, he sat up for some time considering the situation. He was terribly sore and wearied from the heart-breaking struggle of the afternoon, which had been nothing like so easy as he had portrayed it to Dorothy. Coming on top of the anxiety of his confinement, in ignorance of what was happening to the girl he had promised to restore to her home, it had nearly worn him out. The question that presented itself to him was whether he should trust to his belief in Forbes’s inability to resume the struggle so quickly, and take his much-needed rest so as to be ready for the probable stress of the morrow, or whether he should remain on watch all night and thereby be less efficient the next day, supposing the contest were put off till then. Doubts and difficulties lay in each alternative, but he finally decided to sleep while he could, trusting to his life-long ability to awake fully and instantly at the slightest unaccustomed sound. He did not believe that Forbes and his men could steal upon him without waking him; and, in any event, he could not hope, alone and unarmed, to keep them off the ship.