."

An amused smile crept over the old sea-captain's face, and his eyes
twinkled mischievously as he detected his nephew's horrified, pained,
and reproachful look.

"Well, Ralph," said his grandfather, with an affected air of shame and
remorse, "I'll tell you how it happened:

"You see, it was my second voyage as boy on board of the brig _Saucy_,
commanded by Captain Abraham Smith, belonging down Salem way in
Massachusetts, and trading between that port and the West Indies. We
left harbor one summer morning, loaded with all kinds of hardy
vegetables, which we expected to exchange in Cuba for sugar. After a
fortnight at sea we sighted San Salvador Island, belonging to the Bahama
group, which island, by-the-way, was the first land that Columbus
discovered on his great voyage. That afternoon we were sailing along
past Crooked Island, which lies just to the southward of San Salvador,
when a trim-looking schooner with very tall masts, on which were spread
enormous fore-and-aft sails, stood out from under the lee of the land,
and came down rapidly upon us. Knowing that we could not escape from
her, the stranger openly showed his colors--the pirate's black-flag. We
crowded every stitch of canvas on the poor little _Saucy_, but in less
than an hour the pirate was so close that his shot commenced to carry
away our spars and rigging.

"'Men,' said our Captain, 'there's no good in trying to escape, so let
us heave to. Perhaps when he finds out that our cargo is of no value he
will let us go our way.'

"Well, we shortened sail at once, and put our wheel down, waiting for
the enemy to board us. Seeing that we had given up the race, the pirate
kept getting in his light sails as he swept down on us, and after he had
forged ahead a little he tacked ship, leaving his jib to windward, and
so laid hove to. Immediately one of his boats pulled out from under the
lee of the schooner, and a minute later was alongside of us.

"Preceded by a fair, handsome, lightly built man, who proved to be none
other than Captain Brand, a dozen swarthy, evil-looking pirates, armed
to the teeth, tumbled over the rail. Captain Smith stepped forward to
address the chief, but was immediately cut down with a cutlass wielded
by the latter, who haughtily remarked,

"'Excuse me, I've no time for conversation.'

"The pirate's action was a signal to his men, and before our crew could
offer the slightest resistance they shared the master's fate. A
wicked-look