“Whatever you do, do not bump against the beams,” Francis said.  “Any noise of that sort, from below, would at once excite attention.  Now do you be quiet, while I find a spot to begin upon.”

Commencing at a junction of two planks, Francis began, with the dagger, to cut a hole of some three or four inches across, but tapering rapidly as it went in.  After waiting for some ten minutes, he touched the man lying next to him, placed his hand on the hole he had begun, and then moved aside to allow him to continue the work.

In an hour a hole was made in a two inch plank, and this was soon enlarged until it was an inch in diameter.  Lying along the side of the bulkhead, so as to get his ear to the hole, Francis listened, but could hear no sound within.  Then he put his mouth to the orifice and asked: 

“Are you all asleep there?”

Then he listened again.  Some of the men were speaking, and asking each other who it was that had suddenly spoken.  No one replied; and some of them gave vent to angry threats, against whoever it might be who had just disturbed them from going off to sleep.

Directly the voices ceased again, Francis said: 

“Let us have silence in there.  Where is Rinaldo, the boatswain?”

“I am here,” a voice replied; “but who is speaking?  It sounds like the voice of Messer Hammond.”

“It is my voice, Rinaldo.  We have worked through from the hold at the other end of the ship, having removed some of the planks of the bulkhead.  Now it is for you to do the same.  We will pass you some daggers through, when we have made this hole a bit larger.  You must choose one of the planks in the corner, as this will be less likely to be observed.”

“They will not observe us, Messer Hammond.  They never come down here at all, but pass our food down in buckets.”

“Nevertheless, begin at the plank next to the side,” Francis said.  “Possibly someone may come down before you have finished.  You will have to remove two planks to get through.  I will pass a javelin through.  You can set to work with it, and bore holes through the plank close to the floor; and then, with the dagger, cut away the wood between them.  When you have done them, set to at the top, close to the beams, and cut the two planks through there.  There are sacks of grain piled up against them on this side, so that there is no fear of your being observed from here.  The work must be carried on perfectly noiselessly, the men relieving each other every few minutes.

“When the planks are cut through, replace them in their former positions, and wedge some small pieces of wood in, so that there shall be no chance of their falling.  You ought to finish the work by tomorrow.  When you have done it, take no farther step until you get orders from me.  It would not do to rise now, for we may be surrounded by other ships, and if we overpowered the crew, we should at once be attacked and recaptured by them.  You will, therefore, remain quiet until you have orders, whether it be one day or ten.  All the arms they have taken from us are lying piled here, and when the time comes, we shall have no difficulty in overpowering the Genoese, and shall, I hope, bring the Pluto safely to anchor in the port of Venice before long.”