then concluded with a vibrant demand: "Now dost
know why thy queen withheld thy senseless hands from witless
destruction?"

Her question was scarcely heard before the answer came. From a hundred
rusty throats pealed a huzzah that rolled out over the sea and sent the
sea-birds squawking with fright to more peaceful surroundings.

"Dolores! Dolores! That's a queen for the tribe of Jolly Roger!" howled
Hanglip, and tumult rang again.

The girl raised her hand, and silence fell once more.

"Hear my judgment upon such of ye as are not of thy mind," she cried,
and now the smile had gone; her eyes flashed and the words fell red-hot
from her scornful lips.

"I demand no tales from thy mouths. Hiding among these woods Yellow Rufe
and Sancho, he of the one eye and the mutilated hand, think to ward off
my vengeance. By meridian to-morrow I command those traitors to be
brought to me. Fail in this, and ye shall see that Dolores can be
terrible, too."

The crowd took this as a dismissal, and broke into parties to scour the
woods. Only slaves and women remained, and Pascherette ran to her
mistress's side and whispered, with a sidelong look of coquettish
allurement at Venner and his friends.

"Something about to happen!" Venner whispered, hoping that it might
prove something in recompense for his day of stress. Dolores cast a look
of cool indifference toward them and told Milo:

"Put these strangers in separate chambers, Milo. Iron them securely and
look to it well. Thou art answerable for them."

No more. She took Pascherette and departed.

CHAPTER IX.

THE SULTANA DECIDES SEVERAL THINGS.

There was a moment of cruel amazement for Venner and the others when
Dolores had gone; then Milo, approaching with his irons and chains,
awoke the captives to resistance.

"No chains for me, by God!" shouted Venner, crouching to ward off the
giant's approach. "Tomlin, Pearse, break for the schooner! I'll hold
this savage. We shall perhaps fail; but by the powers of justice we'll
go down fighting on our own ship!"

He sprang at Milo as he spoke, and his friends hesitated. Milo, without
haste, without change of countenance, dropped his irons and reached
Venner with great deliberate strides. And in that momentary hesitation
Tomlin and Pearse were lost with their host; for the giant stretched out
one tremendous arm, seized Venner by the slack breast of his shirt, and
lifted him from the ground, flailing with both hands like som