hur, who had military experience
enough to know there was nothing for it but to stand still in the grasp
of his captor, a wiry-looking Moor, with a fez and a striped sash round
his waist.

The leader, a sturdy Turk in a dirty white turban, with a huge sabre in
his hand, was listening to the eager words, poured out with many
gesticulations by the Genoese captain, in a language utterly
incomprehensible to the Scot, but which was the _lingua Franca_ of the
Mediterranean ports.

It resulted in four men being placed on guard at the hatchway leading to
the cabin, while all the rest, including Arthur, Hebert, Laurence, were
driven toward the prow, and made to understand by signs that they must
not move on peril of their lives. A Tuck was placed at the helm, and the
tartane's head turned towards the pirate captor; and all the others, who
were not employed otherwise, began to ransack the vessel and feast on the
provisions. Some hams were thrown overboard, with shouts of evident
scorn as belonging to the unclean beast, but the wine was eagerly drank,
and Maitre Hebert uttered a wail of dismay as he saw five Moors gorging
large pieces of his finest _pate_.

CHAPTER IV--WRECKED

'They had na sailed upon the sea
A day but barely three,
When the lift grew dark and the wind blew cauld
And gurly grew the sea.

'Oh where will I find a little wee boy
Will tak my helm in hand,
Till I gae up to my top mast
And see for some dry land.'

SIR PATRICK SPENS.

It was bad enough on the deck of the unfortunate Genoese tartane, but far
worse below, where eight persons were shut into the stifling atmosphere
of the cabin, deprived of the knowledge of what was going on above,
except from the terrific sounds they heard. Estelle, on being shut into
the cabin, announced that the Phoenician ship was taken by the vessels of
Sesostris, but this did not afford any one else the same satisfaction as
she appeared to derive from it. Babette and Rosette were echoing every
scream of the crew, and quite certain that all would be massacred, and
little Ulysse, wakened by the hubbub, rolled round in his berth and began
to cry.

Madame de Bourke, very white, but quite calm, insisted on silence and
then said, 'I do not think the danger is very great to ourselves if you
will keep silence and not attract attention. But our hope is in Heaven.
My brother, will you lead our prayers? Recite ou