“There’s no use av makin’ any bones av the matther, Mr. Trunnell,” said Chips.  “That third mate an’ the murderin’ devil ain’t comin’ aboard this here ship.  Ef they do, I’ll kill them meself whin they comes over th’ side.”  And he arose, lugging out the revolver he had taken from the ruffian at the close of the fight.

I stepped into my room and brought forth my own, handing Chips some cartridges for his.

“I think the men will stand to us in the matter, Trunnell,” I said.

The little mate looked sorrowfully at us both, and shook his great head slowly.

“‘Tain’t no use o’ makin’ a fuss,” he said at last.  “Discipline is discipline, an’ you knows it.  If the captain wants them fellows aboard, aboard they comes, and no one here kin stop them.  There’s only one captain to a ship.  When his orders don’t go, there’s blood an’ mutiny an’ piracy an’ death aboard.  Put up your guns.  Don’t let’s say no more about it till we raise them, for maybe they’re gone under by this time.  We won’t reach the wreck anyways afore night.”

It happened as he said.  When we went on deck, the Pirate had swung her yards and was standing along in the direction we had come.  Thompson, or rather Jackwell, walked fore and aft on the weather side of the poop, and gazed at each turn at the horizon ahead.  A lookout was posted in the foretop, while the rest of the men lounged about the decks and discussed the situation and the tragedy of the day before.

Chips was for open mutiny, and Johnson backed him.  All our men were in sympathy with us, and some were so outspoken that they could be counted on if a fresh fracas occurred.  The majority, however, were so well under control that they appeared to be satisfied to obey orders under any conditions.  The Englishmen were neutral.  All except Jenks were silent or advised the recognition of the established authority, telling how we could square matters afterward with our enemies.

This shows how a sailor is at the mercy of any one who has been established in authority.  If he resists in any manner, he is mutinous and is liable to the severest penalties.  Here we were with every prospect of having Andrews and our third mate on board again, to go through some other horror, unless we turned pirates and took the ship.  This was a risky thing to attempt, for if successful and there was any bloodshed, we would certainly either swing or pass under a heavy sentence.  That is, of course, if we failed to prove that Thompson was the rascal Jim had told us he was.  On the other hand, if we failed, there was the absolute certainty of being at the mercy of the rascal’s cruelty, unless Trunnell would be able to control them all.

The little mate was a strange character.  He believed in obeying orders under any conditions whatever, unless absolute proof could be had that the one who gave the orders was unauthorized to do so.  In spite of his friendship for me, I knew full well that he would die rather than disobey the captain, no matter what the order was, provided he considered it a legitimate one.  The fact that the men had committed horrible crimes did not in any manner disinherit them from the ship in his opinion.  They should be dealt with afterward according to the law.