"And there's barely water on that to float us over," he added, striding forward, and laying a hand on the wheel.
"Half a foot too little," said Gascoyne, with forced calmness.
Scraggs grinned.
"You shan't run us aground if I can prevent it," cried Manton, fiercely, seizing the wheel with both hands and attempting to move it, in which attempt he utterly failed; and Scraggs grinned broader than ever.
"Remove your hands," said Gascoyne, in a low, calm voice, which surprised the men who were standing near and witnessed these proceedings.
"I won't. Ho, lads! do you wish to be sent to the bottom by a—"
The remainder of this speech was cut short by the sudden descent of Gascoyne's knuckles on the forehead of the mate, who dropped on the deck as if he had been felled with a sledge-hammer. Scraggs laughed outright with satisfaction.
"Remove him," said Gascoyne.
"Overboard?" inquired Scraggs, with a bland smile.
"Below," said the captain; and Scraggs was fain to content himself with carrying the insensible form of his superior officer to his berth; taking pains, however, to bump his head carefully against every spar and corner and otherwise convenient projection on the way down.