“No, of course not,” said Mr Brymer, excitedly.
“Then you grasp of course what I propose doing. I shall drug that food with one of the powerful extracts which I have in my medicine-chest. It will be passed down to the men, who will be almost voracious, and then we shall have to wait until it has taken effect, open the hatch, secure Jarette, and separate the others into, say, three parties—one in the cable-tier, the other in the forecastle, the last in the hold or one of the cabins. The rest, I think, will be easy.”
There was a dead silence.
“Do you think my plan too wild?”
“No,” said Mr Denning, quickly. “God bless you, doctor!” and he held out both his hands.
“Yes, that plan will do,” said Captain Berriman, “I feel assured.”
“Yes, yes,” was murmured in a tone full of emotion; and at that moment there was a sharp crack which seemed to have come from somewhere in the saloon.