The mate's face lit up in a way that those who knew him had not seen for
months.
"Well done, youngster!" he said, in quite a musical growl. "Splendid!
Here, Poole Reed, you ought to have thought of that."
"How could I?" said the lad. "I never learnt anything about
breech-loading cannon."
"No more you did, my boy," said the skipper; "and we don't want to take
the honour from Mr Burnett. We shall have to do this, sir, but it will
be risky work, and I don't know what to say about letting you go."
"Oh, I don't think that there will be much risk, Captain Reed," said
Fitz nonchalantly. "It only means going very quietly in the dark. It
would be done best from the dinghy, because it's so small."
"And how would you go to work?" said the skipper.
"Oh," said Fitz, "I should arrange to go about two bells, let the dinghy
drift close in under her bows after studying the gunboat well with a
glass, and I think one ought to be able to mount by climbing up the
anchor on the starboard side. If not, by the fore-chains."
"And what about the watch?"
"I've thought about that, sir, and I don't believe that they keep a good
one at all. It won't be like trying to board a gunboat in the British
Navy. Like as not those on deck will be asleep."
"Yes, I think so too," said Poole.
"Well," said the skipper, "I have something of the same sort of idea.
They'd never believe that any one from the schooner would do such a
daring thing. What do you say, Burgess?"
"Same as you do, sir," said the mate gruffly.
"But what do you think would be the great advantage of doing this, Mr
Burnett?" said the skipper.
"The advantage, sir?" replied the middy, staring. "Why, it would be
like drawing a snake's fangs! You wouldn't be afraid of the gunboat
without her gun."
"No," said the skipper thoughtfully, "I don't think I should; and for
certain she'd be spoiled for doing any mischief to Don Ramon's forts."
"Oh yes, father," cried Poole excitedly. "It would turn the tables
completely. You remember what Don Ramon said?"
"What, about the power going with the party who held the gunboat? Well,
it's a pity we can't capture her too."
"Or run her ashore, father."
"What, wreck her? That would be a pity."
"I meant get her ashore so that she'd be helpless for a time."
"Well, now's your time, my boy. It has come to a pretty pass, though,
Burgess, for these young chaps to be taking the wind out of our sails."
"Oh, I don't mind," growled the mate. "Here, let's have it, Poole.
Look at him! He's got something bottled up as big as young Mr Burnett,
I dare say."
"Eh? Is that so, my boy? Have you been planning some scheme as well?"
"Well, father, I had some sort of an idea. It came all of a jump after
Burnett had proposed disabling the gun."
"Well done!" whispered Fitz excitedly.
"What is it, my lad?" said the skipper.
"Oh, I feel rather nervous about it, father, and I don't know that it
would answer; but I should like to try."
"Go on, then; let's hear what it is."
"You see, I noticed that they have always got steam up ready to come in
chase at any time if we try to slip out."
"That's right," growled the mate.
"Well, I was thinking, father, how would it be if we could foul the
screw?"
"Why, a job, my lad, for them to clear it again."
"But wouldn't it be very risky work lying waiting while they tried to
clear the screw? You know what tremendous currents there are running
along the coast."
"But they wouldn't affect a craft lying at anchor, my lad," growled the
mate.
"No," said Poole excitedly; "but I should expect to foul the screw just
when they had given orders to up with the anchor to come in chase of us
or to resist attack."
"And how would you do it, my lad?" said the skipper.
"Well, father, I was thinking--But I don't profess for a moment that it
would succeed."
"Let's have what you thought, and don't talk so much," cried the
skipper. "How could you foul the screw?"
"Well, the dinghy wouldn't do, father; it would be too small. We should
have to go in the gig, with four men to row. I should like to take the
big coil of Manilla cable aboard, with one end loose and handy, and a
good rope ready. Then I should get astern and make the end fast to one
of the fans of the screw, and give the cable a hitch round as well so as
to give a good hold with the loop before we lowered it overboard to
sink."
"Good," said Burgess. "Capital! And then if the fans didn't cut it
when they began to revolve, they'd wind the whole of that cable round
and round, and most likely regularly foul the screw badly before they
found out what was wrong."
"Yes," said the skipper quietly. "The idea is excellent if it answered,
but means the loss of a good new cable that I can't spare if things went
wrong; and that's what they'd be pretty sure to do."
Poole drew a deep breath, and his face grew cloudy.
"The idea is too good, my lad. It is asking too much of luck, and we
couldn't expect two such plans to succeed. What do you say, Burgess?"
"Same as you do," said the mate roughly. "But if we got one of our
shots to go off right we ought to be satisfied, and if it was me I
should have a try at both."
"Yes," said the skipper, "and we will. But it seems to me, Burgess,
that you and I are going to be out of it all."
"Oh yes. They've planned it; let 'em do it, I say."
"Yes," said the skipper; "they shall. But look here, do you lads
propose to do all this in one visit to the gunboat?"
"Poole's idea, sir, is all fresh to me," cried Fitz. "I knew nothing of
it till he began to speak, but it seems to me that it must all be done
in one visit. They'd never give us a chance to go twice."
"No," said the mate laconically, and as he uttered the word he shut his
teeth with a snap.
"When's it to be, then?"
"To-night, sir," said Fitz, "while it's all red-hot."
"Yes, father; it ought to be done to-night. It's not likely to be
darker than it is just now."
"Very well," said the skipper; "then I give you both authority to make
your plans before night. But the dinghy is out of the question. With
the current running off the coast here you'd never get back in that.
You must take the gig, and five men. Pick out who you like, Poole: the
men you would rather trust. You'd better let him choose, Mr Burnett;
he knows the men so much better than you, and besides, it would be
better that they should be under his orders than under yours. There, I
have no more to say, except this--whether they succeed or not, your
plans are both excellent; but you cannot expect to do anything by force.
This is a case for scheme and cunning. Under the darkness it may be
done. What I should like best would be for you to get that breech-block
overboard. If you can do the other too, so much the better, but I shall
be perfectly satisfied if you can do one, and get back safely into the
river. There, Poole; make what arrangements you like. I shall not
interfere in the least."
"Nor I," said the mate. "Good luck to you both! But I shouldn't worry
much about preparing for a fight. What you have got to do is to act,
cut, and run."