“Just so,” assented Leslie; “that is quite possible. But I will see that he does nothing of the kind. Now, tell me, how many of the ship’s company are with Turnbull, and how many are there against him?”
“Well, first of all, there’s Turnbull ’isself; that’s one,” answered the steward. “Then there’s Burton, Royston, Hampton, and Cunliffe, the four A.B.s; that’s five. And, lastly, there’s the cook; ’e makes six. Then, on our side, there’s Mr Marshall, the mate; that’s one. I’m another; that’s two. And there’s Rogers, Andrews, Parker, and Martin, the four ordinary seamen; that’s six again. So there’s six against six, as you may say; only there’s this difference between us: Turnbull ’ave got two revolvers, one what ’e found in the skipper’s cabin, and one what ’e took from the mate, while the four A.B.s ’as their knives; whereas we ’aven’t nothin’, they ’avin’ took our knives and everything away from us.”
“Still,” argued Leslie, “the belaying-pins are always available, I suppose, and they are fairly effective weapons in a hand-to-hand fight, to say nothing of handspikes and other matters that you can always lay your hands on. But of course Turnbull’s brace of revolvers gives him an immense advantage, should it come to fighting. But I can plainly see that if the slip is to be recaptured at all—and I believe it can be managed—it must be done without fighting; for you are not strong-handed enough to risk the loss, or even the disablement, of so much as a single man. Now, tell me this. Turnbull informs me that your water is bad, and that he intends to re-water the ship, here. Is that true, or is it only a fabrication to account to me for the presence here of the Minerva?”
“Why, just that, and nothin’ else, sir,” answered the steward. “Our water’s good enough. But certingly we’re runnin’ rather short of it; and I don’t doubt but what ’e’ll fill up, if there’s water to be ’ad ’ere. But it’s the treasure as ’e’s after, first and foremost, and don’t you forget it.”
“Quite so,” agreed Leslie. “Now, no doubt he will go ashore again soon after daylight; and as I shall not come off to the ship he will be compelled to come ashore in his own boat. How many men will he be likely to bring with him, think you?”
“Not more’n two, sir, certingly,” answered the steward; “and p’rhaps not any at all. Likely enough when ’e finds as you don’t come off ’e’ll scull ’isself ashore in the dinghy. Because, you see, sir, ’e don’t trust none of us ’ceptin’ the four as is standin’ in with ’im, and them four ’as their orders to keep a strict heye upon us to see that we don’t rise and take back the ship from ’em. So I don’t think as ’e’ll take any o’ them ashore with ’im if ’e can ’elp it. And ’e won’t take none of the others either, ’cause ’e’d be afraid to trust ’isself alone with ’em.”
“Very well,” said Leslie. “I think I can see my way pretty clearly now. If Turnbull should go ashore by himself to-morrow, I will look after him and see that he does not return to the barque. But if he should take any of his own gang with him—say two of them—that will leave only two and the cook aboard against six of you, which will make you two to one. In that case you must watch your chance, and, if you can find an opportunity, rise upon those three and retake the ship. And if you should succeed, hoist the ensign to the gaff-end as a signal to me that the ship is recaptured. But do not run any risks, mind; because, as I have already said, you cannot afford to lose even one man. If you cannot see a good chance to retake the ship, we must watch our opportunity, and think of some other plan. That is all, I think. Now I will put you aboard again. But look out for me to come off again about the same time to-morrow night.”
With the same caution as before Leslie now again approached the barque, but this time he took the canoe up under the craft’s mizzen channels, from which it was a much easier matter for the steward to scramble aboard again than if he had been compelled to shin up the rope dangling over the stern, by which he had descended; and having seen the man safely in on deck, he softly pushed the canoe off the ship’s side with his bare hand, and allowed her to be driven clear by the wind; and it was not until he was a good hundred yards astern of the Minerva that he took to his paddle and returned to the camp. It was nearly two o’clock in the morning when at length he once more entered his tent and stretched himself upon his bed to finish his night’s rest.
Leslie was habitually an early riser, and, notwithstanding the fact that the previous night’s rest had been a broken one, he was once more astir by sunrise, taking his towels and soap with him to a little rocky pool in the stream where he was wont to indulge in his morning’s “tub;” and by eight o’clock he was seated at table in his tent, enjoying his breakfast, and at the same time keeping an eye upon the barque.
It was not, however, until close upon half-past ten that Dick detected any signs of a movement on board the Minerva; and then with the aid of his telescope, he observed that they were getting the vessel’s dinghy into the water. Ten minutes later he saw Turnbull climb down the ship’s side, and, throwing over a short pair of sculls, shove off and head the little craft for the beach. Dick waited only just long enough to make quite sure that the man was really coming ashore, and, this presently becoming evident, he at once started for the treasure-cave. Knowing the way by this time perfectly well, an hour’s easy walking took him to the spot, where he found Nicholls and Simpson on the watch. A few terse sentences sufficed to put the men in possession of the material facts of the situation, and he then hurried down aboard the cutter to see Flora and assure her of his safety, and that everything was going well. Then, returning to the cave, he made his final arrangements with the two men, and set out on his way back toward the camp. He did not go very far, however, for he knew that, finding him absent, Turnbull would at once seize the opportunity to institute a search for the cave; and he knew, further, that—since the man was undoubtedly possessed of tolerably complete information, including, probably, a map of the island—he must sooner or later make his appearance in the neighbourhood; he therefore selected a spot where, himself unseen, he could command a view of the ground over which the fellow must almost inevitably pass, and sat down to patiently await developments.