ere discouraged. In a few minutes they gave up the chase with a yell
of rage, and turned to swim for the shore.

About a hundred yards from the mouth of the harbour there lay a small
islet--a mere rock. Here Sam resolved to leave the pirate guard, none
of whom had been quite killed--indeed two of them had tried
unsuccessfully to rise during the fight.

"You see," said Sam, as he steered for the rock, "we don't want to have
either the doctoring or the killing of such scoundrels. They will be
much better with their friends, who will be sure to swim off for them--
perhaps use our raft for the purpose, which they will likely find,
sooner or later."

They soon ranged up alongside of the island, and in a few minutes the
bodies of the pirates were landed and laid there side by side. While
they were being laid down, the man who had fought with Robin made a
sudden and furious grasp at Johnson's throat with one hand, and at his
knife with the other, but the seaman was too quick for him. He felled
him with a blow of his fist. The others, although still alive, were
unable to show fight.

Then, hoisting the mainsail, and directing their course to the
northward, our adventurers slipped quietly over the sea, and soon left
Pirate Island far out of sight behind them.

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE.

DEPARTURE FROM PIRATE ISLAND AND HOPEFUL NEWS AT SARAWAK.

The vessel of which Robin and his friends had thus become possessed, was
one of those numerous native pirate-ships which did, and we believe
still do, infest some parts of the Malay Archipelago--ships which can
assume the form and do the work of simple trading-vessels when
convenience requires, or can hoist the black flag when circumstances
favour. It was not laden with anything valuable at the time of its
capture. The slaves who wrought at the oars when wind failed, were
wretched creatures who had been captured among the various islands, and
many of them were in the last stage of exhaustion, having been worked
almost to death by their inhuman captors, though a good many were still
robust and fresh.

These latter it was resolved to keep still in fetters, as it was just
possible that some of them, if freed, might take a fancy to seize the
ship and become pirates on their own account. They were treated as well
as circumstances would admit of, however, and given to understand that
they should be landed and set free as soon as possible. Meanwhile, no
more work would be requi