t
these were promptly checked by the sailors.

Pungarin drew himself up and stood calmly, but not defiantly, as if
waiting orders. There was no expression on his bold countenance save
that of stern indifference for the crowd around him, over whose heads he
gazed quietly out to sea. His brow remained as unflushed and his
breathing as gentle as though his struggles for life had occurred weeks
ago, though the wet garments and the ragged red jacket told eloquently
of the share he had taken in the recent fight.

"Take him below and put him in irons," said the captain.

"Please, sir," remarked the man whose duty it was to secure the
prisoners, "we've got no more irons on board. We had only thirty pair,
and there's now thirty-eight prisoners in the hold."

"Secure him with ropes, then," returned the captain;--"where is Mr
Berrington?" he added, looking round hurriedly.

"For'ard, sir, lookin' after the wounded," answered a sailor.

While the pirate-chief was led below, the captain walked quickly to the
place where Edgar was busy.

"Can you spare a minute?" he asked.

"Not easily," said Edgar, who had just finished the dressing with which
we left him engaged; "there are several here who require prompt
attention; but of course if the case is urgent--"

"It _is_ urgent: come and see."

Without a word our amateur surgeon rose and walked after the captain,
who led him to the companion-hatch, leaning against which he found the
Singapore man, with his head split across and apparently cut down nearly
from ear to ear. From this awful wound two small spouts of blood, about
the thickness of a coarse thread, rose a foot and a half into the air.
We use no exaggeration, reader, in describing this. We almost quote
verbatim the words of a most trustworthy eye-witness from whose lips we
received the account.

The man looked anxiously at Edgar, who turned at once to the captain and
said in an undertone, but hurriedly, "I can be of no use here. It is
quite impossible that he can live. To attempt anything would really be
taking up time that is of vast importance to more hopeful cases."

"Sir, do try," faltered the poor man in English.

"Ha! You speak English?" said Edgar, turning quickly towards him;
"forgive me, my poor fellow, I did not know that you understood--"

"Yis, me speak Engleesh. Me Singapore man. Go for vist me friends
here. Cotch by pirits. Do try, doctir."

While he was speaking Edgar quickly took off