ammunition ready, to send those who will not submit to kingdom come. Here are weapons enough for the gentlemen who like, to arm themselves to the teeth—rifles, revolvers, cutlasses, dirks—although we sha'n't want to use them, I can assure you, on the word of an old naval man!"
"Have you made any advance towards the—the pirates?" asked one gentleman gifted with more self-command than the others, who looked as if a single man with a revolver could have mastered them easily.
"Yes, I have sent three messengers to them to ask what they mean?"
"And what answer have they given?"
"None as yet; indeed neither of my messengers have come back, nor have the engineers turned up to explain, and I don't wish to weaken our force by sending any more. Our policy is to wait, and enjoy ourselves as best we may."
"How can we enjoy ourselves with a set of explosive Anarchists on board?" cried out the passengers in tones of the extremest anguish.
"Oh! Anarchists think as much of their own carcases as we do about ours, and no explosion can take place on board without equal risks to both parties."
"Oh, but you know, captain, that Anarchists enjoy dying if they can kill others!" cried out one young lady.
"Not they—besides, we are not blown up yet, nor likely to be!" replied the captain stoutly. "Keep yourselves cool, that is all."
Good advice this, that, like heaps of other advice, was extremely difficult to take.
The ladies took straightway to the couches, there to whimper and moan out their fears, while the men tried to comfort them as well as they could, oscillating between the spirits and the sofas.
