in rich costumes,
talking familiarly with him, while his bodyguard of Beloch soldiers,
cut-throat-looking individuals, lounged outside.

Murray and Jack, accompanied by the midshipmen, entering the hall, made
their salaams, Hamed following them to act as interpreter. The
universal pipes and coffee having been produced, they sat smoking, with
intervals of dignified silence, while Hamed did the talking. The Sultan
inquired whether the English commanders had made many captures, to which
Murray replied that they had condemned only such vessels as were without
legal permits; and Jack then introduced the subject of his capture, and
described the murder of the slaves by the Arab crew.

The Sultan did not look quite as horrified as they expected he would.

"Surely the villains deserve condign punishment," observed Jack; "if
they are your Highness's subjects, you will, of course, at once have
them all hung up."

His Highness shrugged his shoulders. "If I had to hang all the
cut-throats in my dominions, there would be more work than a dozen
executioners could get through," he answered. "If they are my subjects,
I give you full leave to treat them as you think fit; and if they are
not, you are the best judges as to what should be done with them."

Jack, who was convinced that all the Arabs on board the dhow, taken
red-handed as they were, deserved hanging, would gladly have left the
task of putting them out of this world to the Sultan. The difficulty
was to prove that they were his subjects; and they were not likely to
acknowledge this to be so, unless they thought that he would pardon
them. After some further conversation, the two officers, with their
companions, took their leave, feeling that they had taken very small
change out of His Highness.

Jack accompanied Murray on board to dinner, and Adair, of course, was
asked to join them. It was the first time for several years that they
had been together with time to talk over old days. Though now and then
a shade of melancholy came over Jack's honest face, a joke of Adair's,
or some pleasant recollection conjured up by Murray, quickly banished
it, and a very pleasant evening they had.

"Here's to your speedy promotion, Terence," said Jack; "the last letter
I had from Admiral Triton, he told me that he had seen Lord Derrynane,
who had promised that he would stir heaven and earth, and such bowels of
compassion as the Lords of the Admiralty might possess, to obtain it,