CHAPTER XXXIII.

THE MUTINY QUELLED.

Lieutenant Tempest saw the paper as soon as he entered the cabin, and was very much inclined to resent the placing of dirty paper on his dinner plate.

But when he saw Bob's signature, he became amused.

He was about to throw the document away, when Bob shouted from the outside:

"Read it, sir."

"Ah! You there, Bob? What is it? Want more grog, or extra biscuits, or is it something you want for Mr. Scarron?"

Bob happened to see Luiga nearby, and knew that the West Indian was listening.

"Yes, cap'n," he answered, "the doctor sent me for some, and I didn't see you, so I wrote it down."

Tempest glanced over the paper, and saw at once that Bob was acting very diplomatically.

"Will you ask the doctor to see me about it? He had better come at once."

Luiga heard Tempest's remark and felt easier.

"Thought he had split. If he had I would have slit his throat for him before he was an hour older."

Tempest was alone.

"What does he mean?" he asked himself.

"'He made me swear.' Who did? 'Make my hair stand on end,' 'put prisoners in irons before night got dark'--really, Bob, your composition is an enigma. 'Bullets may be under the tin.' It is a conundrum hard to read."

The doctor entered at that moment.

Bob had sense enough to see that he was suspected by Luiga, and so he must remove that suspicion and trust to Tempest to find an excuse for the English doctor.

Luiga was close to the cabin when the doctor entered, and all his suspicions vanished when he heard Tempest say:

"Ah, doctor! Bob has been trying to make me understand what you want for poor Scarron. A doctor's prescription is usually hard to read, but Bob's is worse."

It so happened that the doctor had really commissioned Bob to ask Tempest for an extra allowance of grog for Scarron.

The English doctor was one of the garrulous kind, who gloried in the sound of his own voice.

"Smart boy, that Bob. I should say he is a real good fellow."

"Yes, as true as steel, though no great friend of your nation, doctor."

Luiga stayed no longer.

He was satisfied that Bob had not betrayed him.

The doctor stayed and chatted for half an hour, and Tempest enjoyed the change, for it was a pleasure to have an educated man as companion out on the open seas.

But all the time that the disciple of Esculapius was talking the lieutenant was puzzling his brain to know what Bob really meant.

"Place all the prisoners in irons. That seems harsh. Shall I do it, or shall I question Bob first?"

The latter course was resolved upon, and Bob was duly cross-examined; but he was true to his oath, although he evaded the strict spirit by saying:

"If I hadn't sworn not to tell you, cap'n, I should say that there would be mutiny the first dark night; but I did swear not to tell you, so cannot say it."

No diplomat ever got around a difficult problem easier than did Bob, and Tempest saw that the powder-monkey had some secret information which he could not make public.

The day passed on as most days do when the sea is calm and the sky unruffled by even a cloud, and Tempest hesitated on his course of action.

If the _Lively Bee_ had been nearer he would have sought advice from his captain, but that meant delay, and action must be taken at once.

It was better to be on the safe side, and he had resolved to imprison the men, when a sail was sighted.

That gave him the excuse he wanted.

The prisoners were ordered on deck, and, as they stood in line, Tempest saw an ominous scowl on more than one face.

"Men, I have sent for you to thank you for your behavior during the time you have been prisoners of war," he began, and the men wondered at such a novel introduction. "I have always believed in human nature, and still do so, but there are times when prudence demands certain precautions to be taken. A sail appears on the horizon, and we may have to fight; therefore, it becomes necessary to order you below until all danger has passed."

Luiga scowled and looked threateningly at Tempest.

"You'll place us in irons next, eh?"

"If it is necessary, yes," answered Tempest without a quiver in his voice.

"Then you'll get no chance with me. I'm a free man, and so are we all--eh, men?"

"Ay, ay, Luiga!"

"Then I say I'll be your cap'n, and there ain't men enough on this ship to say me nay. Will you stand by me?"

"Ay, ay, Luiga, we will."

"Seize him," cried Luiga, pointing to Tempest, who had stood calmly and stoically during the mutinous language.

But as soon as Luiga gave the order, he quietly raised his pistol and shot the West Indian dead.

Drawing his sword, he challenged the mutineers to come on and he would meet them single handed.

"No, no, we were wrong. We ain't murderers nor mutineers, we're fighters," said one, and his speech was echoed by the others.

"Tell me Luiga's plot and I will believe your honesty."

The spokesman told of the intended mutiny, and, to Tempest's surprise, told him that Luiga was always hinting that the boxes of tin contained bullets as well as that valuable commodity.

Although Tempest appeared to trust the men, he kept them under close surveillance.

Curiosity led him to have one of the boxes of tin opened, and, to his great surprise and joy, he found that under the sheets of tin there were hundreds of sovereigns, doubtless intended for the British paymaster-general.

Such a discovery was too important to be concealed from the _Lively Bee_, and early the next morning Captain Vernon was signaled, and put off in a boat for the _Regina_.

Tempest told Vernon of his suspicion, and a general overhauling of the cargo resulted in the finding of over a hundred thousand pounds sterling.

The cargo was consigned to Thomas Arbuthnot, and Vernon remembered that the paymaster of the English army bore that name.

It was the richest prize taken during the war, and Vernon declared that if he was allowed to keep the prize he would quit privateering, and settle down on shore.

All speed was made to land, and Vernon reported his capture to the government.

He was allowed to keep his prize, and so all the crew of the _Lively Bee_ shared in the prize money, the amount of which almost took away their breath.