d the man to desist--but not
in mercy.

"Over with him," he said, curtly, and then resumed his walk.

The slave-driver drew his knife, and cut the rattan that bound the man,
who turned his dying eyes on him with an imploring look.

At that moment one of the pirates, who from his dress and bearing seemed
to occupy a position of authority, stepped upon the platform and looked
at him. He gave a brief order to one of his comrades, who brought a
large piece of cork and fastened it to the slave's neck. He also
brought a short spear, with a little flag at its handle. This he thrust
a few inches into the fleshy part of his shoulder, and then pushed him
off the platform into the sea. Thus the wretched creature was made to
float, and, as he went astern, some of the pirates amused themselves by
shooting at him with their muskets.

Now, _gentle_ reader, don't shut your eyes and exclaim, "Oh! Too
horrible." It is _very much_ because of that expression of yours, and
the shutting of your "gentle," (we would rather say selfish) eyes that
these accursed facts exist! Yes, we charge it home on you so-called
"soft ones" of the earth, that your action,--namely, shutting your
eyes,--does probably as much, if not more, to perpetuate horrible evil
as does the action of open godlessness,--that condition which is most
aptly expressed by the world's maxim, "every man for himself and the
devil for us all."

Do not imagine that we presume to invent such things or to exaggerate
for the sake of "sensation." We relate well-authenticated facts. We
entertain strong doubts as to whether devils are, in any degree, worse
than some among the unsaved human race. There is great occasion for
you, reader, whoever you are, to know and ponder such facts as we now
relate. We are too apt to regard as being applicable only to the past
these words, "the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations
of cruelty." If we were to fill our book with horrors from beginning to
end, we should only have scratched the surface of the great and terrible
truth. Assuredly now, not less than in days of old, there is urgent
need of red-hot philanthropy.

But we gladly pass from the cruel to the cunning phase of piratical
life. These villains had at that time been about six months on their
cruise. They had made the entire circuit of Borneo, murdering, and
plundering, and striking terror and desolation wherever they went. The
scenes enacted by Norse pirate