oment a junk runs up to
us jump on board and capture her? It's the best thing I can think of to
do."

"We should probably be knocked on the head, and be sent overboard
again," answered Alick. "We must stay quiet, and wait the course of
events."

"I suppose it is the wisest thing, but I should like to have a fight for
life," said Jack, with a sigh.

The boat kept slowly turning round and round, and just then, by lifting
his head up a little, he saw the mast-heads and sails of two junks,
which were bearing close down upon them. There seemed now an
impossibility of their escaping detection.

"We are in for it," whispered Jack. "Let's have a fight."

"I guess it would be a short one," answered Captain Willock; "stay
quiet, Mr Rogers, if you don't want all our throats cut."

Two minutes more elapsed, and the high sides of two large junks, crowned
by big round shields and numberless hideous grinning faces looking down
on them, appeared, one on either hand. A couple of grapnels were hove
into the boat, which was nearly crushed between the two vessels, and a
dozen or more pirates, armed to the teeth, looking more like demons than
men, sprang into her. Before Jack, or Murray, or Captain Willock, or
indeed any of the party, could offer any resistance, they had passed
running nooses over their shoulders, by which those on deck hauled them
up without power of resistance. Jack, Alick, the American skipper, and
Jos were fished up on board one junk, and they saw, to their great
regret, the Frenchwoman and her daughter hoisted up on the other, poor
madame half dead with terror, shrieking out vain petitions to be set on
her feet.

"Jos, Jos," cried Jack, when he saw this, "tell the pirates they must
let the poor ladies remain with us. They will frighten them to death."

Jos shook his head. "No good, now," he answered, mournfully; "dey cut
all our troats."

Just then, the junk which had caught the midshipmen separated from the
boat, and they, with the captain and Jos, being dragged by the pirates
into a cabin, were unable to discover what became of the rest of the
party.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

ON BOARD THE JUNK.

While the French lady and her daughter, with Mr Hudson, the American
mate, one seaman, and Hoddidoddi were carried off by one junk, the two
midshipmen, Captain Willock, and Jos, with the remaining seamen, found
themselves stowed away on board another.

"I say, Alick, we must try and help those poor