he
pirates, who seemed to own both junks, was a big ferocious Malay with
only one eye--he might have added with no heart at all, if what he said
o' the scoundrel was true, for he behaved with horrible cruelty to the
crew o' the barque. After takin' all he wanted out of his prize he
scuttled her, and then divided the people that were saved alive between
the two junks. There were several passengers in the vessel; among them a
young man--a widower--with a little daughter, four year old or so. He
was bound for Calcutta. Being a very powerful man he fought like a lion
to beat the pirates off, but he was surrounded and at last knocked down
by a blow from behind. Then his arms were made fast and he was sent wi'
the rest into the biggest junk.

"This poor fellow recovered his senses about the time the pirates were
dividin' the prisoners among them. He seemed dazed at first, so said the
Lascar, but as he must have bin in a considerable funk himself I suspect
his observations couldn't have bin very correct. Anyhow, he said he was
sittin' near the side o' the junk beside this poor man, whose name he
never knew, but who seemed to be an Englishman from his language, when a
wild scream was heard in the other junk. It was the little girl who had
caught sight of her father and began to understand that she was going to
be separated from him. At the sound o' her voice he started up, and,
looking round like a wild bull, caught sight o' the little one on the
deck o' the other junk, just as they were hoistin' sail to take
advantage of a breeze that had sprung up.

"Whether it was that they had bound the man with a piece o' bad rope, or
that the strength o' Samson had been given to him, the Lascar could not
tell, but he saw the Englishman snap the rope as if it had bin a bit o'
pack-thread, and jump overboard. He swam for the junk where his little
girl was. If he had possessed the strength of a dozen Samsons it would
have availed him nothin', for the big sail had caught the breeze and got
way on her. At the same time the other junk lay over to the same breeze
and the two separated. At first the one-eyed pirate jumped up with an
oath and fired a pistol shot at the Englishman, but missed him. Then he
seemed to change his mind and shouted in bad English, with a diabolical
laugh--'Swim away; swim hard, p'raps you kitch 'im up!' Of course the
two junks were soon out of sight o' the poor swimmer--and that was the
end of _him,_ for, of course, he