ll in a shower of glass splinters over the
little sleeper.

The child gave one terrified shriek, and, starting from the bed in his
little night-dress, now soiled and torn, he ran and threw himself on his
knees before the doctor. Another bottle was raised aloft by the long
muscular arm of the pirate; but, before you could wink, that arm was
arrested, and the missile twisted from his grasp.

"For shame, you coward! Don't harm the boy. He will die soon enough in
this awful den without having his brains dashed out."

"Ho, _Monsieur le Docteur_!" muttered the villain, looking as if he
would like to taste the heart's-blood of the resolute man who stood
before him, as he pushed a hand into his waistcoat pocket, "do you
presume to call names and oppose _my_ will?"

But, controlling his passion with a violent contortion of face that
would have made one's blood run cold to see it, he changed his tone and
said,

"Nonsense, doctor; you seem to take rather a strong interest in the
brat--possibly an injudicious one; but, since he is my prize, you know,
by law, come--what will you give for him? Ah! happy thought, we will
play for him! There, deal away, _compadre_. _Sota_ and _cavallo_! I take
the knave again, and you ten doubloons against the boy on the horse."

The doctor said not a word, but nodded assent, and seemed absorbed in
the game.

"_Presto!_ Turn the cards, you old sinner! Quick! _Por dios!_ horse has
kicked me, and the knave loses! _Monsieur_, the brat is yours!"

Then starting up, Captain Brand hastily pulled out his watch, and said,
"_Hola, caballeros_, the time is up! I must say good-night."

Don Ignacio's brown thin fingers, like a dentist's steel nippers, laid
down the cards, and carefully picked up his winnings, even to the
smallest bit of the precious metal, and dropped it piece by piece into
his long pouch, following them each with his glittering eye, like a
magpie peering into a narrow-necked bottle, and smiling with his
wrinkled old lips as the dull chink of the coin fell upon his ear. When
he had performed this operation, he tied up the mouth of the bag as if
he was choking somebody to death; and then, twitching something which
was partly hidden in his sleeve, he arose in readiness to go out.

As, however, Captain Brand turned to follow his _compadre_, he looked
carelessly toward the doctor, and said,

"By the way, monsieur, I have made up my mind with respect to our
conversation to-day, and you _sh