ng."

"That's what'll happen," continued the captain, regarding the other
drumstick with some hesitation; "you may take the word of an old salt
for it. I've lived in the good old times, lads, and I know that all
these new-fangled notions are goin' to burst up--and _that's_ what'll
come of it."

Whether that was what came of it remains to be seen.

CHAPTER TWELVE.

A GREAT DYNAMO-ELECTRIC SEA-FIGHT.

A few weeks after the utterance of Captain Rik's famous prophecy, Robin,
Sam, Stumps, and Slagg found themselves on board of a large submarine
cable steam-ship, named the Triton, ploughing the billows of the
Southern Ocean.

A few weeks later and they were drawing near to that great concourse of
islands known as the Malay Archipelago, where nature is exceptionally
beautiful, but man is rather vile. At all events, that region of the
ocean lying to the south of China has been long infamous for the number
and ferocity of its pirates, who, among the numerous islands, with their
various channels, creeks, and rivers, have found a suitable field for
their bloody and remorseless game.

"D'you know, I don't believe in pirates?" said Robin to Sam, as they
stood at the bow of the cable-ship, conversing about these sea-robbers.

"They believe in _you_ nevertheless, as you'd find out to your cost if
we came across one just now."

The voice that replied was not Sam's, but that of the captain, who had
come forward to get a clearer sweep of the horizon ahead with his glass.

"Do you think it likely, sir, that we may meet with any of the rascals?"
asked Sam.

"Not at all unlikely," replied the captain, fixing his glass and putting
it to his eye, "though I don't think it likely that we shall be
attacked, as we are large and don't look like a richly freighted
merchant-man. However, there is no saying. These scoundrels fear
nothing, and when hard up will attack anything but a man-of-war, I half
suspect that I am looking at one of them now."

This latter announcement, calmly uttered, threw all who heard it into
quite a flutter of excitement.

The captain was a big, dark-skinned, bearded man, with a quiet,
half-humorous, half-sarcastic expression of countenance.

"Do you really think it is a pirate?" asked Robin, eagerly.

"I really do," replied the captain, "and I fear we may have to run out
of our course to avoid her. You see, I am a man of peace, and abhor
bloodshed, therefore I won't fight if I can help it."

Say