nd he, with Bill Rullock, accompanied by Wenlock
and one of his mates, went out in order to assist in piloting in the
king's ship. The latter shortened sail to allow the boat to come
alongside. The deck showed the fierce combat in which she had been
engaged. The bulwarks were shattered; the decks ploughed up, and
stained with blood; and numbers of the crew were going about with their
heads and limbs bound up with handkerchiefs, while several bodies lay
stretched out on the deck, a flag hastily thrown over them, partly
concealing their forms. On one side stood a wretched group, their arms
lashed behind them with ropes, and stripped to the waist, covered with
smoke and blood. They were some of the survivors, it was evident, of
the pirate crew. Captain Dinan, accompanied by Wenlock went aft to
speak to the captain. The countenance of the latter, a fine,
dignified-looking man, Wenlock at once recognised. He advanced towards
him. He started when he saw Wenlock.

"Why, my friend!" he exclaimed, "I little expected ever to see you
again!"

"Nor I you, Sir Richard. I thought you had perished on the fatal day
when the _Royal James_ blew up."

"No; thanks to you, my life was spared; for after we were parted, I was
picked up by an English boat."

Sir Richard Haddock informed Wenlock that he had come out as commodore
to the American station. His ship was the _Leopard_, of fifty-four
guns.

"The pirates fought well," he observed; "and as many perished in
attempting to blow up the ship, we shall have but few to hand over to
the executioner when we arrive in Virginia, whither I am now bound."

As both ships, after the action, required a good deal of repair, the
commodore accepted Captain Dinan's offer of piloting him into the
harbour. It was a trial to Wenlock to find himself once more among his
former associates; for he had met several of the officers of the
_Leopard_ when serving under Lord Ossory. They, however, treated his
opinions with respect. In truth, thanks to the courage and talents
exhibited by William Penn, the character of the sect had been raised
considerably in the opinion of the public of late; albeit, there were
many who were ready to ridicule and persecute them on occasion.
Happily, too, there was no time for idleness, as officers and crew were
engaged from sunrise to sunset in repairing the damaged ships.

One day, old Rullock came up to Wenlock, who had gone alone a little
distance from the vi