"Steward, light the lamp in my stateroom," said Corny; and Christy was
glad to find that he intended to retire for the night, for he had no
duties to perform unless there was a disturbance on the quarter-deck.
The lamp on gimbols was lighted, and Corny took possession of the room,
and had not a suspicion that he was not its only occupant. He lay down
in his berth after he had removed his coat and shoes, and in a few
minutes Christy judged that he was asleep from the sound of his
breathing, which soon degenerated into a mild snore. Mr. Flint was to
make a beginning in the project, or, as Dave called it, "open the ball."
In less than another half hour, Christy heard a knock on the cabin door,
which was the signal from the second lieutenant that it was time to
begin operations. He crawled to the front of the space beneath the berth
at the sound, and at the same moment Dave came in at the door of the
stateroom, which had been left open.
The steward lost no time in acting his part, the first step of which was
to jam a handkerchief into the half-open mouth of Corny Passford; but he
had been counselled to use no more force than was necessary to subdue
him. Dave then turned him over on his back in spite of his aimless
struggles, for, as he was roused from his sound slumber, he was too much
bewildered to accomplish anything like an effective resistance.
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