There was a murmur of deep satisfaction from the crew.  As Bertha stepped on deck the men crowded round with low exclamations of “God bless you, miss!  This is a good day indeed for us!”

Bertha, in reply to the greeting, shook hands all round.

“I see you have not put out the lights in the cabin yet, Hawkins.  I will just go down with Miss Greendale and see that she is comfortable, and then I will come up again.”

“Oh, Frank!” the girl exclaimed, bursting into tears as they entered the saloon, “this is happiness indeed.  I feel at home already.”

Frank remained with her for three or four minutes.

“Now, dear, take possession of your old cabin again.  No doubt Anna is there already.  She had better share it with you.

“Now I must go up and finish with the Phantom at once.  Do not be afraid, I shall take them by surprise, and there will be very little fighting.”

And without waiting for remonstrance he hurried on deck.

“Are the men armed, Hawkins?”

“That they are, sir.  We have been expecting an attack every minute.  There have been three or four shore boats going off to the brigantine within the last quarter of an hour.”

“I am going to be beforehand with them, Hawkins.”

“They’ve got both those guns pointing this way, sir.”

“I am not coming from this way to attack them, Hawkins.  I am going to put all hands in that native craft I came in, row off a little distance from this side, then make a circuit, and come down on the other side of them.  I will leave George Lechmere here with four men, with three muskets apiece, so that if they should start before we get there they can keep them off until we arrive.  If I can get a few of the boatmen to enlist I will do so.”

He spoke to Dominique, who went to the side and asked: 

“If any of you are disposed to stop here to guard the craft for a quarter of an hour, in case she is attacked, the gentleman here will pay twenty dollars a man; but remember that you may have to fight.”

The whole crew rose.  Twenty dollars was a fortune to them.

“Come on board, then,” Dominique said.

“I don’t know whether these fellows are to be trusted, George, but I hope you won’t be attacked.  Keep these fifteen muskets for yourselves.  Put four apiece by the bulwarks and station yourselves by them.  Keep your eyes on these boatmen, put the oars of the boat handy for them, and let them arm themselves with them.  If you are attacked an oar is not a bad weapon for repelling boarders.”

“All right, Major.  I will station two of them between each of us.”

By this time the captain had picked out the four men that were to remain, and had the rest drawn up in readiness to get into the boat.

“Get in quietly, lads,” Frank said.  “Ten of you man the oars.  We will put an end to the Phantom’s wanderings tonight.”