upon a road, which led obliquely up
from the water, and ran somewhat inland.

"This is no doubt the road from the village at the head of the arm
of the bay. They have probably come along here, though they may
have turned more directly into the hills. That is the first point
to find out, Dominique."

"Yes, sar, next village we see me go in wid two ob de boatmen and
ask a few questions."

Following the path along for another few hundred yards, they saw a
road ahead of them. Here they halted, and two of the blacks handed
over their muskets and cutlasses to the care of the sailors.
Dominique also left his cutlass behind him, and as he went on gave
instructions to his two companions.

"Now look here," he said in negro French, "don't you say much. I
will do the talking, but just say a word or two if they ask
questions. Mind we three belong to the brigantine. I am the pilot.
The captain has given me a message to send to his friends who have
gone up into the hills. He asked me to take it, but I am not sure
about the way. I am ready to pay well for a guide. I expect that
they will say that the ladies came along, but that they do not know
how they went afterwards. Then we ask him to come as guide, and
promise to pay him very well."

By this time they were close to the hut, which, as Dominique
assured himself before knocking at the door, stood alone. There was
an old man and woman inside, and a boy of about seventeen.
Dominique took off his hat as he entered, and said in French:

"Excuse me for disturbing you so late. I am the pilot of a vessel
now in the bay, and have been sent by the captain to carry an
important message to a gentleman who landed with another and two
ladies and some armed men. He did not give me sufficient directions
to find him, and I thought that if they passed along here you might
be able to put me in the way."

"They came along here between eleven and twelve, I think. We saw
them," the old man said, "and we heard afterwards that the ladies
were being taken away because the ship was, they thought, going to
be attacked by a pirate that had followed them. The people from the
villages went to help fight, for the gentleman had bought many
things and had paid well for them, and each man was promised a
dollar if there was no fighting, and four dollars if they helped
beat off the pirate."

"Yes, that was so," Dominique said, "but it seems that it was a
mistake. Still we had cause for alarm, for the other