Page:At the Fall of Port Arthur.djvu/89

Rh "What's keeping Wilbur so long?" he demanded of the others.

Nobody knew, and one of the crowd, the sailor named Groot, volunteered to look the missing one up.

"Let us follow him to the hatch," whispered Larry. "Perhaps we can make him a prisoner."

"Right you are," answered Tom Grandon.

With caution they came up behind the man, and just as Groot leaned over the open hatchway, they caught him tightly.

"Keep silent, Groot!" said Grandon. "Keep silent, or we'll throw you overboard."

"Stop!" roared the mutineer. "Help! hel"

He got no further, for raising his belaying pin, Vincent brought it down on the mutineer's head. Groot had been the one to lame the boatswain's back and the latter had not forgotten it. Over went the fellow and sank down as if dead.

"Drop him into the hold," ordered Grandon, and this was done just as Captain Ponsberry and Luke Striker appeared at the foot of the rope ladder.

"Another, eh?" said the master of the Columbia. "Good enough! How are you, Tom? How are you, Vincent?"

"We're ready to fight 'em," answered the first