“I will leave that to you, sir. I am not a captain, and I could not handle the schooner to save my life, or even to save my mother’s life,” replied Louis as he led the way to Mrs. Belgrave’s stateroom. “So far as the navigation of the vessel is concerned, I will attend to that; but I look upon you as the leader of the enterprise by which we are to be restored to our homes at Von Blonk Park. You know that man in the stateroom better than I do, and I think you ought to say what shall be done.” “We will arrange it all between us. But it seems to me that the Maud is tumbling about in a very wild way,” replied Louis, as he grasped the handle of his mother’s door to avoid being hurled over to leeward. “We are going to have a violent north-easter, and one is due about this time of year. Whatever this schooner may be able to do with a free wind, she can’t do much close-hauled. But that question will come up later,” added the captain. “What is all the noise I heard just now, Louis?” asked Mrs. Belgrave, opening the door of her room at this moment. “Scoble is bound hand and foot and locked into the stateroom on the other side of the cabin,” replied her son. “He can do nothing now, and you have no more to fear.” This explanation satisfied the terrified woman, and she retired again. Captain Ringgold and Felix had seated themselves on a divan, for it was exceedingly difficult to stand in the cabin. The time had come to decide what was to be done with the vessel; for she was still in the hands of the crew, consisting of the mate and two men, besides the cook. She had hands enough to manage her; but there were still four men against one stout man and two stout boys. Whether or not the crew would stand by their captain and fight for him was an interesting question; and when they were preparing to face it Bickling, the cook, came into the cabin from the deck. He at once announced that he had been sent below to ascertain the occasion of the noise by Mr. Frinks, who said it sounded like blows with an axe upon one of the doors. “Which it was a great noise, for I ’eard it myself in the galley,” added the cook, steadying himself by holding on at the table. “Perhaps the mate had better come below himself and have the noise explained to him,” replied Captain Ringgold. “Which ’e can’t leave the deck, sir, for the vessel is making very bad weather of it; and Mr. Frinks is wondering where is the captain that ’e don’t come on deck and attend to the vessel,” said the cook. “Do you know anything about the affairs of this vessel, cook?” asked the captain sharply. “Which I don’t know anything at all about anything, sir.” “You don’t? How long have you been on board of her?” “Only two weeks and three days, sir.” “Didn’t you come over from England in her?” “No sir, I did not; I was cooking at a ’otel in Baltimore when Captain Farrongate engaged me. I took the lay because I wanted to go home to Hengland.” “Who was the cook that came out in the Maud?”