told him, if he had not seen for himself, how
amorousness and cupidity formed the key-note of character in the
visitors; and now he used the knowledge to the fullest extent. The
little octoroon appeared as Dolores watched; she had hastily attired
herself in dry clothes, a single garment more filmy and daring than that
she had worn to swim aboard the schooner, and from her mistress's store
had borrowed jewels that transformed her into a beautiful little golden
butterfly.

Dolores saw all this in a flash; she saw Pascherette take capable charge
of the three men, led them away from the cliff, and then Milo advanced
to the steep path. Turning swiftly to resume her career, Dolores uttered
a shrill, piercing cry that the giant understood perfectly, and she
plunged into the sea as he bounded down the slope to her support.

The schooner's crew were already hard pressed; but they fought like men,
led courageously by Peters, the sailing master. As Dolores cleft the
sparkling water, speeding out to them like a gorgeous sprite of the
waves, men tugged at gun-tackles to swing a piece around to rake their
own decks, for Yellow Rufe and his ruffians had swept the forecastle
clear of defenders. And Dolores reached the vessel, climbed over the
low-listing rail nimbly as a jungle cat, at the instant when Sancho's
boats hooked on to the main-chains and took the crew in the rear.

The pirate queen stood for a single long breath to grasp the scene in
its entirety. Panting slightly from her exertions, her blazing eyes and
heaving breast rendered her a figure of bewildering and awful
loveliness; and the Feu Follette's men paused in the fight out of sheer
amazement.

Sancho's gaze fell on her the moment his evil head topped the rail, and
into his eyes crept an expression of detected insubordination. He sought
Yellow Rufe, but Dolores had seen all she needed to apprise her that
this was a concerted attempt to flout her authority. Then Rufe's hoarse
roar went up, and the tide of struggling men surged anew, and Sancho,
plucking up heart, rejoined with a scream.

"Into the sea with the dogs!" he cried. "'Tis such a craft as Jabez
would love to see ye carry."

The fight rolled aft, and Dolores was left standing alone by the midship
shot-rack. She singled out a few of her men by name, and commanded them
to rally to her side; then, seizing a cutlas from the deck, she glided
tigerishly to the main companionway, down which the pirates were now