as we have said, he would have been strung up at
the yard-arm, excepting for his extreme youth.

He then joined a trading vessel in the South Seas, but the crew were
attacked and massacred by a band of pirates, and he was taken off a
prisoner. These pirates belonged to the Wauparmur settlement, and they
were so pleased with the bravery displayed by the boy that they
adopted him among them. There was something in the life which was
attractive to the wild American lad, and he embraced it eagerly, and
spent five years among them. His bravery, skill, and natural
"smartness," advanced him rapidly along the line of promotion, until,
while yet a boy, he became an acknowledged leader.

Captain Fred spent a portion of his time in the settlement, where he
showed his good sense, in one respect at least, by picking up all the
education he could from the instructors who were to be found there. He
succeeded well--which will explain the intelligence he displayed in
this respect while conversing with his friends.

He confessed all this, and said further that his mother died before he
ran away, and he had no idea where his father was; but, if he were
alive, the son determined to find him, no matter where he might be on
the broad earth. Now that his conscience had been awakened, his
affection came back with it, and his great fear was that he would not
see his parent alive.

It was a source of never-ending wonder to Fred Sanders how it was he
could have been so wicked a lad, and how it was that his moral sense
could have been so totally eclipsed for years. The gentle, winning
words of Inez Hawthorne had first aroused his conscience, until
finally it would not allow him to rest until he had made his peace
with it.

CHAPTER XXXVII

CONCLUSION

Many a long hour did the two--Fred and Inez--spend in talking together
of the past and their future. They were as brother and sister to each
other, and their prospects were discussed as if it were fixed that
they should never lose sight of each other again.

It was on this voyage, too, that Abram Storms disclosed the plan of
action he had decided upon.

"The pearls which I have in my possession I shall dispose of in San
Francisco--or at least a portion of them. Those which were my share,
according to the original agreement, I shall keep. The single pearl,
which will doubtless bring a large price in New York, is the property
of Inez, and shall be devoted to her benefit. I intend to