ear."

"They're bloody pirates!" said Flathootly. "It was the long fellow
that stabbed me."

"You're all right," said the doctor to Flathootly. "Thank your stars
the spear wasn't poisoned, or you would be a dead man."

"Be the powers, I'll have that fellow yet," said the master-at-arms.
"I'm going to take a jump, and, be me sowl, wan of thim fellows 'll
get left."

The strangers were now flying quite close to the ship, and Flathootly
unexpectedly gave a tremendous spring into the air. He would have
caught one of the aerial men for certain, but they, having wings,
foiled him by simply moving out of the line of the Irishman's flight.

Flathootly dropped into the sea about a quarter of a mile away, and
would probably have been drowned had it not been for the generosity of
the strangers themselves. One of the flying men, hastening to the
rescue, caught him by the hair of the head and lifted him out of the
water. Flathootly caught the stranger by one of his legs and held on
like grim death. The flying man brought his burden right over the ship
and attempted to drop Flathootly on deck, who shouted, "I hev him,
boys! I hev him! Catch howlt of us, some of you!" Immediately a dozen
sailors leaped up, and, grasping the winged man and his burden,
brought both successfully down to the deck.

Seeing himself overpowered, the stranger submitted to his captivity
with as good a grace as possible. We removed his shield and spear,
and, merely tying a rope to his leg to secure our prize, gave him the
freedom of the ship.

He sulked for a long time, and maintained an animated conversation
with his free companion in a language whose meaning none of us
understood. He finally condescended to eat some of the food we set
before him, and his companion came near enough to take a glass of
wine from his captive brother and drink it with evident relish.

[Illustration: ONE OF THE FLYING MEN CAUGHT FLATHOOTLY BY THE HAIR OF
THE HEAD, AND LIFTED HIM OUT OF THE WATER.]

Flathootly was so far friendly disposed to his assailant as to offer
him a glass of ship's rum. The stranger to our surprise did not refuse
it, but, putting the glass to his lips, quaffed its contents at a
single draught. When he became more accustomed to his surroundings we
ventured to examine his curious equipment.

Upon examination we found that the wings of our captive were simply
large aerial oars, about four and a half feet in length and three feet
wide at the widest p