r of La Roche and his scoundrel crew than I have.
My reason does not help me; I cannot think of that man without
trembling."

I understood him, for I have myself been affected in the same way with
regard to one or two people who have done me some injury, or would, I
have had reason to believe, do me one should they have the opportunity.

"The only way to escape the pirates is to remain concealed while they
are passing," he observed. "As there is no harbour here, and there are
no signs of them having been here, they will, in all probability, go to
the other side of the island, and we may escape them."

As I still further examined the stranger I began to fear that O'Carroll
was right in his conjectures, and I therefore agreed to assist him in
trying to persuade the rest of the people to hide themselves till the
privateer was out of sight. The emigrants, frightened out of their wits
by the account O'Carroll gave of the privateer's men, were ready enough
to do as he advised, and began running here and there, not knowing where
to hide themselves. We advised them simply to pull down the tent, to
put out the fire, and to sit quiet among the rocks and shrubs till the
ship had passed.

We then went on to see the captain and his men. As we got in sight of
where they were, we saw that they had already got up a spar, which had
been washed on shore, and were in the act of hoisting a man's shirt to
the top of it in order to attract the attention of the stranger. On
this O'Carroll shouted out to them in no very gentle tones, "Fools!
idiots! what are you about? would you bring an enemy on shore to murder
us?" I then told them the character of the vessel in sight. "What's
that to us?" answered one of the men. "All masters are much the same to
us; they'll use us while they want us, and cast us adrift when they've
done with us. Whether French or Spaniards, they'll not harm us.
They'll have liquor aboard, and that is what we shan't have as long as
we remain here."

It was useless attempting to argue with such men. I turned to the
captain. He had lost all authority over his people, who treated him as
an equal, or rather as an inferior. He shrugged his shoulders and
walked away without speaking. I saw that it was time, therefore, to
interfere, and William and I, rushing forward, hauled down the signal,
which one of the men was on the point of hoisting. "If you are willing
to become slaves, we are not!" I exclaimed, in a d