“Yes,” said the skipper; “they shall. But look here, do you lads propose to do all this in one visit to the gunboat?”
“Poole’s idea, sir, is all fresh to me,” cried Fitz. “I knew nothing of it till he began to speak, but it seems to me that it must all be done in one visit. They’d never give us a chance to go twice.”
“No,” said the mate laconically, and as he uttered the word he shut his teeth with a snap.
“When’s it to be, then?”
“To-night, sir,” said Fitz, “while it’s all red-hot.”
“Yes, father; it ought to be done to-night. It’s not likely to be darker than it is just now.”
“Very well,” said the skipper; “then I give you both authority to make your plans before night. But the dinghy is out of the question. With the current running off the coast here you’d never get back in that. You must take the gig, and five men. Pick out who you like, Poole: the men you would rather trust. You’d better let him choose, Mr Burnett; he knows the men so much better than you, and besides, it would be better that they should be under his orders than under yours. There, I have no more to say, except this—whether they succeed or not, your plans are both excellent; but you cannot expect to do anything by force. This is a case for scheme and cunning. Under the darkness it may be done. What I should like best would be for you to get that breech-block overboard. If you can do the other too, so much the better, but I shall be perfectly satisfied if you can do one, and get back safely into the river. There, Poole; make what arrangements you like. I shall not interfere in the least.”
“Nor I,” said the mate. “Good luck to you both! But I shouldn’t worry much about preparing for a fight. What you have got to do is to act, cut, and run.”