and see if they would attempt to come in.  He did so, the corporal was dismissed, and at twelve o’clock his door was tried and tried again; but being fast, the party retreated.  Vanslyperken waited till two bells to ascertain if any more attempts would be made; but none were, so he rose from his bed, where he had thrown himself with his clothes on, and, opening the door softly, crept upon deck.  The night was very warm, but there was a light and increasing breeze, and the cutter was standing in and close to the shore to make a long board upon next tack.  Vanslyperken passed the man at the helm, and walked aft to the taffrail; he stood up on the choak to ascertain what way she was making through the water, and he was meditating upon the best method of proceeding.  Had he known where Smallbones’ hammock was hung, he would have gone down with the view of ascertaining the fact; but with a crew so evidently opposed to him, he could not see how even the ascertaining that Smallbones was on board, would be productive of any good consequences.  The more Vanslyperken thought, the more he was puzzled.  The fact is, that he was between the horns of a dilemma; but the devil, who always helps his favourites, came to the aid of Mr Vanslyperken.  The small boat was, as usual, hoisted up astern, and Mr Vanslyperken’s eyes were accidentally cast upon it.  He perceived a black mass lying on the thwarts, and he examined it more closely:  he heard snoring; it was one of the ship’s company sleeping there against orders.  He leant over the taffrail, and putting aside the great-coat which covered the party, he looked attentively on the face—­there was no doubt it was Smallbones himself.  From a knowledge of the premises, Vanslyperken knew at once that the lad was in his power.

The boat, after being hauled up with tackles, was hung by a single rope at each davit.  It was very broad in proportion to its length, and was secured from motion by a single gripe, which confined it in its place, bowsing it close to the stern of the cutter, and preventing it from turning over bottom up, which, upon the least weight upon one gunnel or the other, would be inevitably the case.  Smallbones was lying close to the gunnel next to the stern of the cutter.  By letting go the gripe, therefore, the boat would immediately turn bottom up, and Smallbones would be dropped into the sea.  Vanslyperken carefully examined the fastenings of the gripe, found that they were to be cast off by one movement, and that his success was certain; but still he was cautious.  The man at the helm must hear the boat go over; he might hear Smallbones’ cry for assistance.  So Vanslyperken went forward to the man at the helm, and desired him to go down and to order Corporal Van Spitter to mix a glass of brandy-and-water, and send it up by him, and that he would steer the vessel till he came up again.  The man went down to execute the order, and Vanslyperken steered the cutter for half a minute, during which he looked forward to ascertain if any