“Do you propose to play off any of these tricks on Lowington?” demanded Shuffles.

“We have got a rod in pickle for him,” replied Grimme, chuckling.

“What is it?”

“We intend to give him a dose of kerosene oil, to begin with,” laughed Sanborn.

“One of the stewards left his oil can on the fore scuttle ladder, after the hatch was put on to keep the spray out, and I took possession of it,” added Grimme, hardly able to keep his mirth within the limits of prudence.

“What are you going to do with it?” asked Shuffles.

“We are going to give Lowington the contents of the can, and then throw it overboard.”

“Indeed!  Who is the fellow that has boldness enough to do this thing?”

“I have; and I have volunteered to do the job,” answered Grimme, with a degree of assurance which astonished even Shuffles.

“You dare not do it!”

“I dare, and I will, if the fellows will stand by me.  Lowington is sitting at the table in the professors’ cabin, right under the skylight, reading.  One section of the skylight is open, and you can see him, as plain as day.  It’s as dark as a pocket on deck, and the officers can’t see you twenty feet off.  All I have to do is to pop the oil through the opening, and get out of the way.”

“What then?”

“Why, he will come on deck, and try to find out who did it; but he can’t.”

“Perhaps he can.”

“No, he can’t; only half a dozen of the fellows will know anything about it, and of course they won’t let on.”

“Suppose he don’t find out.  What good will this trick do?”

“The second part of the port watch must follow up the game.  Lowington will come on deck at eight bells, and Monroe, in the starboard watch, will give him another dose.”

“What will that be?”

“Slush the first step of the ladder at the after companion-way, and let him tumble down stairs,” chuckled Grimme.

“Then Lynch will give him some more,” said Adler.

“Well, you may break his neck when he tumbles down the ladder.  I’ll have nothing to do with any of those tricks,” added Shuffles, decidedly.  “If you want to pipe to mischief, I’m with you, but in no such way as that.  Those are little, mean, dirty tricks.”

“But they will keep him in hot water all the time, and he will get sick of being a tyrant over the fellows in less than a week.  There are twenty things we might do to annoy him, which would help to bring him to his senses.  For instance, when the steward carries the coffee into the professors’ cabin, one fellow might engage his attention, while another drops a lump of salt, a handful of pepper, or a piece of tobacco into the urn.”

“I don’t want to hear any more of such low-lived tricks,” interposed the magnificent conspirator.  “If you want to pipe to mischief, let us do it like men.”

“What would you do?  Fifty of the fellows, at least, will go into anything to punish Lowington for his tyranny.”