ring him speak, his attendants showed excessive signs of joy,
nodding their heads and smiling at him as though to reassure him. But
either because they did not choose to reply, or else because they could
not speak English, they made no answer, excepting by those signs and
gestures. The white man, however, made several motions that our hero
was to arise, and, still grinning and nodding his head, pointed as
though towards a saloon beyond. At the same time the negro held up our
hero's coat and beckoned for him to put it on. Accordingly Barnaby,
seeing that it was required of him to quit the place in which he then
lay, arose, though with a good deal of effort, and permitted the negro
to help him on with his coat, though feeling mightily dizzy and much
put about to keep upon his legs--his head beating fit to split asunder
and the vessel rolling and pitching at a great rate, as though upon a
heavy cross-sea.

So, still sick and dizzy, he went out into what he found was, indeed, a
fine saloon beyond, painted in white and gilt like the cabin he had
just quitted. This saloon was fitted in the most excellent taste
imaginable. A table extended the length of the room, and a quantity of
bottles, and glasses clear as crystal, were arranged in rows in a
hanging rack above.

But what most attracted our hero's attention was a man sitting with his
back to him, his figure clad in a rough pea-jacket, and with a red
handkerchief tied around his throat. His feet were stretched under the
table out before him, and he was smoking a pipe of tobacco with all the
ease and comfort imaginable. As Barnaby came in he turned round, and,
to the profound astonishment of our hero, presented to him in the light
of the lantern, the dawn shining pretty strong through the skylight,
the face of that very man who had conducted the mysterious expedition
that night across Kingston Harbor to the Cobra River.

VII

This man looked steadily at Barnaby True for above half a minute and
then burst out a-laughing. And, indeed, Barnaby, standing there with
the bandage about his head, must have looked a very droll picture of
that astonishment he felt so profoundly at finding who was this pirate
into whose hands he had fallen. "Well," says the other, "and so you be
up at last, and no great harm done, I'll be bound. And how does your
head feel by now, my young master?"

To this Barnaby made no reply, but, what with wonder and the dizziness
of his head, seated himself