written a statement which has been forwarded to me; and which, if
correct, and I see no reason to doubt it, proves that further efforts
are required to put down piracy and robbery and murder in these seas;
and by God they shall not be wanting as long as I'm ruler here."

"Well, sir; well, sir," ejaculated Fleetwood.

"But ay, the statement. It is to the effect that the brig _Mary Jane_,
William Jones master, on her voyage from Smyrna to Malta, did in
latitude ... degrees north, longitude ... degrees east, sight the hull
of a vessel dismasted. That not lying much out of her course, she
hauled up for her; and on a nearer approach she appeared to be
water-logged, by her lowness in the water, and the heavy way in which
she rolled; that on getting close to her, the _Mary Jane_ was hove to,
and a boat lowered into the water, into which the first mate and a
boat's crew got, and pulled on board her. It appears that the mate,
when he first got alongside, thought that she had been brought into her
present condition by a storm, from the appearance her shattered bulwarks
presented; but that, climbing up her side, she found a number of
shot-holes, and round-shot sticking in them, and her spars and rigging
lying about the decks, evidently destroyed by shot. He therefore came
to the conclusion that she had been hotly engaged with an enemy of very
superior force, as she herself only carried four guns; and it would
require a large number, or else very rapid firing, for a long time, to
send so many into her as he observed. He soon discovered that there was
no human being alive on board her; but on more minute examination, he
was of opinion, from the state of the decks, that there had been some
severe fighting, and a number of people killed on them. All the bodies,
however, had been thrown overboard. The hold of the ship had been
ransacked, was almost empty, as were the cabins, which had evidently
been fitted up for passengers, and there were a few articles of female
gear scattered about, which made him suppose that there had been ladies
on board."

"Great Heaven!" ejaculated Captain Fleetwood, starting up. "The name,
sir--the name?"

"The name is just what the mate had considerable difficulty himself in
discovering; for, you see, the master had a fancy to have it painted so
low under the counter, that it could not be seen, sunk deep in the water
as the ship now was. At last, however, one of the men who accompanied
him, found