After supper the students felt a little brighter. Mr. Hamblin was pacing the deck, as he always did towards evening, and Perth drummed together his forces to play the first act in the drama. The names of the twenty-six Knights had been written down on a sheet of paper, and a dozen of them took position in the waist, with their backs to the professor. Scarcely had the actors taken their places before the Josephine's gig came alongside with Captain Kendall, who visited the ship to receive his instructions from the principal for the next day.
Paul stepped upon deck; but, perceiving that Mr. Lowington was engaged in an earnest conversation with Dr. Winstock, he did not interrupt him, but paused in the waist. Of course the conspirators suspended operations, and Paul spent the time he was waiting in conversation with them about the wonders of Holland. As he stood there, Mr. Hamblin cast frequent glances at him, and brooded heavily over the indignities which had been heaped upon his learned head by the young commander, as he believed. Probably the current of his thoughts would have assumed a different direction if he had been aware that the principal and the surgeon were discussing the best means of "letting him down easily."
Mr. Lowington at last discovered that Paul was waiting for him, and the difficult subject was deferred. The captain of the Josephine went below with the principal, and the conspirators began to discuss in a very unguarded manner the process of keelhauling the obnoxious professor. As the learned gentleman passed the group, he could not help hearing his name mentioned. The boys soon became very earnest in their manner. They had seated themselves under the lee of the hatch, and did not appear to notice the fact that Mr. Hamblin was passing on the other side of it at intervals.
"We'll keelhaul him," said Wilson; and the _savant_ distinctly heard the remark, though he did not know what it meant; only that it was some trick to be played off upon him.
"If he didn't hear that, he's deaf as a post," added Perth, as the professor passed on.
"He'll leave the ship as soon as we have keelhauled him," was the next remark which Mr. Hamblin heard.
Of course this meant himself; and he paused when he had satisfied himself that he was not observed. As this was just what the conspirators wanted, they revealed their wicked scheme fully, though with some appearance of concealment.