that they saw but little of the crew and knew nothing of the
plans the men were making.

Occasionally they heard faint echoes of brawls and quarreling
among the mutineers, and on two occasions the vicious
bark of firearms rang out on the still air. But Black Michael
was a fit leader for this band of cutthroats, and, withal held
them in fair subjection to his rule.

On the fifth day following the murder of the ship's officers,
land was sighted by the lookout. Whether island or mainland,
Black Michael did not know, but he announced to Clayton
that if investigation showed that the place was habitable he
and Lady Greystoke were to be put ashore with their belongings.

"You'll be all right there for a few months," he explained,
"and by that time we'll have been able to make an inhabited
coast somewhere and scatter a bit. Then I'll see that yer
gover'ment's notified where you be an' they'll soon send a man-
o'war to fetch ye off.

"It would be a hard matter to land you in civilization without
a lot o' questions being asked, an' none o' us here has any
very convincin' answers up our sleeves."

Clayton remonstrated against the inhumanity of landing
them upon an unknown shore to be left to the mercies of
savage beasts, and, possibly, still more savage men.

But his words were of no avail, and only tended to anger