"Quite right," approved the general.  "I agree with every word that our young friend here has said.  He appears to have got a very good grip of the situation, and his views accord with my own exactly.  We shall doubtless be obliged to come to fisticuffs with those scoundrels forward before we can hope to extricate ourselves from this very awkward situation.  But it would be the height of folly to precipitate a fight before we are fully prepared.  And now, gentlemen, I am going up on the poop.  Come with me who will; but I think that, for the present at least, the ladies had better remain below."