The officer concluded that there must be as many as four men in the hold attending to the stowage of the bales, and four more could be seen tumbling the cargo through the hatches.

This accounted for eight men; and this was the number Christy had figured out as the crew of the Reindeer, though there was doubtless a man at the wheel.

The force was about equal to his own, not counting the engineers and the firemen.
Christy stationed his men as he believed Captain Stopfoot had arranged his force.

The cabin was in a deck-house; between the door of it and the piles of cotton was a vacant space of about six feet fore and aft, which could not be overlooked from the forward part of the vessel.

It was here that the first movement had been made.