"Haven't you knocked those two fellows over yet?" demanded Chuck impatiently; and it was evident from the question, that he expected assistance from the deck by this time.
"All right: we have knocked them both over, and secured them," answered Dory, adding a fit of coughing to his muzzled voice; but he did not deem it necessary to define more particularly the identity of the two fellows who had been knocked over.
Chuck seemed to be satisfied with the answer, and immediately he called to his companions in the hold; though Dory did not understand what he said. The machinist had been strengthening his works at the hatches, by piling on the boards over the opening, all the heavy articles he could find on the deck. While he was thus engaged, all the party in the hold left, doubtless at the call of Chuck, who appeared to have succeeded Mack in the command.
The two prisoners on deck had been placed in the waist, and they were too far off to hear what passed between Dory and Chuck. As soon as the departure of the fellows in the hold would permit, Mr. Jepson hastened aft. Dory gave him the helm, and went to the stern, though he was careful not to show himself to the operators below.
At the stern of the vessel was a pair of davits, at which the tender was usually hoisted up. A glance at them, and a knowledge of their use, suggested the means of preventing the rest of the party below from coming on deck.
"On deck! Why don't you open the doors of the cabin so that we can come out?" shouted Chuck, who had retreated to the cabin, considering it no longer necessary to risk the necks of his followers in the difficult ascent from the cabin through the window. "Why don't you let us out? Open the cabin-doors!"
"They won't open," replied Dory.
"Then, take that stuff off the hatchway! We don't want to stay down here all day," added Chuck, very much discontented with the situation, and especially with the failure of his companions to do any thing.
"Only two of us here on deck. We have to work the vessel, and that is all we can do," added Dory, coughing again with all his might; while the machinist stood at the tiller, laughing at the farce, as it seemed to him.
"Open the doors, and let us up, and we will help you," persisted Chuck.