returned Xanthippe. "No man ever gave me
my ideas."

As Xanthippe spoke, Lucretia Borgia burst into the room.

"Hurry and save yourselves!" she cried. "The boat has broken loose from
her moorings, and is floating down the stream. If we don't hurry up and do
something, we'll drift out to sea!"

"What!" cried Cleopatra, dropping her cue in terror, and rushing for the
stairs. "I was certain I felt a slight motion. You said it was the wash
from one of Charon's barges, Elizabeth."

"I thought it was," said Elizabeth, following closely after.

"Well, it wasn't," moaned Lucretia Borgia. "Calpurnia just looked out of
the window and discovered that we were in mid-stream."

The ladies crowded anxiously about the stair and attempted to ascend,
Cleopatra in the van; but as the Egyptian Queen reached the doorway to the
upper deck, the door opened, and the hard features of Captain Kidd were
thrust roughly through, and his strident voice rang out through the
gathering gloom. "Pipe my eye for a sardine if we haven't captured a
female seminary!" he cried.

[Illustration: "THE HARD FEATURES OF KIDD WERE THRUST THROUGH"]

And one by one the ladies, in terror, shrank back into the billiard-room,
while Kidd, overcome by surprise, slammed the door to, and retreated into
the darkness of the forward deck to consult with his followers as to "what
next."

V

A CONFERENCE ON DECK

"Here's a kettle of fish!" said Kidd, pulling his chin whisker in
perplexity as he and his fellow-pirates gathered about the capstan to
discuss the situation. "I'm blessed if in all my experience I ever sailed
athwart anything like it afore! Pirating with a lot of low-down ruffians
like you gentlemen is bad enough, but on a craft loaded to the water's
edge with advanced women--I've half a mind to turn back."

[Illustration: "'HERE'S A KETTLE OF FISH,' SAID KIDD"]

"If you do, you swim--we'll not turn back with you," retorted Abeuchapeta,
whom, in honor of his prowess, Kidd had appointed executive officer of the
House-boat. "I have no desire to be mutinous, Captain Kidd, but I have not
embarked upon this enterprise for a pleasure sail down the Styx. I am out
for business. If you had thirty thousand women on board, still should I
not turn back."

"But what shall we do with 'em?" pleaded Kidd. "Where can we go without
attracting attention? Who's going to feed 'em? Who's going to dress 'em?
Who's going to keep 'em in bonnets? You don't know anythin