n Barthelemy
returned to the ship. "You are as pale as a corpse."

"Nothing," replied his commander in a hollow tone. "Only my heart has
died in my breast."

The pirates asked no further questions. They knew all. Whenever any one
of them left the band, the others kept watch from a distance. They had
seen Barthelemy sitting despairingly beside the ruins of the hut, and
all shrank in timid silence from the pallid man.

Barthelemy shut himself up in his cabin and, taking a chart, began to
study the course to Africa. His face was gloomy, but ever and anon his
eyes flashed fiercely. Suddenly he heard a knock at the door and angrily
opened it.

"Who is disturbing me, now?"

"I, captain," replied Scudamore. "We need your judgment."

"Go until to-morrow. I will grant no favors to-day."

"I want no favors from you, only the execution of the law. Three members
of the band took advantage of the time during which we were on shore to
desert and take refuge in the interior of the island. But I sleep with
my eyes open and, though I have but two of them, can watch the whole
hundred men."

"And me also?"

"There can be no discrimination, captain, we need one another, whoever
seeks to leave us is a traitor. We want no path for retreat, only for
advance. Whoever has once sworn faith, is ours forever, belongs to hell,
no power can free him, and if he will not live with us he must die."

"Have you captured the fugitives?"

"All three, they were only a mile from La Vega when we overtook them."

"Bring them before me singly."

Scudamore went in search of the prisoners, with fiendish delight, and
returned dragging the first one by the ear.

He was a cowardly fellow whom the pirates had forced to join their band.

"Oh, captain!" he cried falling on his knees before Barthelemy, "if you
believe in God and the angels, let me leave this accursed place. You are
all doomed to hell, permit me to save my soul from the flames of
purgatory. Oh! all you saints of Heaven, have mercy on my sinful head."

A horrible roar of laughter from the pirates greeted these imploring
words.

"You shall die," said Barthelemy coldly, motioning to the men to lead
him away.

"Captain! For heaven's sake, you won't let me die thus, without the
sacrament or extreme unction, to the ruin and eternal perdition of my
soul?"

"Wait, I'll confess you," said Scudamore with a diabolical laugh,
putting the rope around the doomed man's neck.

"Oh God, my Crea