ed more freely under the belief
that they had escaped their enemies. Poor Charcoal sat perfectly still,
though he moved his large eyes about with an uneasy glance upwards and
around on every side. He ate and drank with the rest, but made no
attempt to communicate to others what was passing in his mind. The day
was drawing on, when Paul, who, with the rest of the party, had dropped
off into a drowsy state of unconsciousness, was aroused by a shout of
derisive laughter, and a voice exclaiming:

"Ah, ah! my masters, you thought to escape us, did you? and you're like
mice in a trap, and you'll find that you've cats with precious sharp
claws to deal with."

On hearing this unpleasant announcement, Paul looked up and saw a
hideous hairy face, ten times more hideous than that of Charcoal,
because, though that of a white man, so fierce and sneering, grinning
down upon them. The man, for man he was, though more like a huge baboon
than a human creature, levelled a blunderbuss at Devereux's head.

"If you allow your men to put out an oar, I will fire," he exclaimed.
"You cannot make your escape out to sea if you were to attempt it, and
we can give you employment enough on shore; so we don't intend to take
your lives."

Devereux guessed pretty accurately the meaning of these last words.

"Death rather than slavery, lads," he cried; "out oars, and let us make
an attempt for liberty."

Scarcely had he uttered the words, while all hands were getting out
their oars, than the pirate pulled the trigger. The moments of the
young midshipman's life would have been numbered, but the firearm
flashed in the pan. With a curse at his failure, the man again primed
his piece; but the delay, short as it was, enabled the Englishmen to get
away out of the creek. The blunderbuss was fired, but its shot fell
harmless. The report, however, served to call others of the pirates,
who were searching for the fugitives, to the spot, and as the boat
proceeded down again towards the mouth of the harbour, they were seen
clambering along the rocks, shouting and gesticulating violently. It
bodied ill for the way they would treat their prisoners if they caught
them. The mouth of the lagoon was reached, but the surf broke as
furiously as before. The pirates were approaching, having climbed along
over the rocks. Already their shot could almost reach the boat. The
small arms of those days carried no great distance. It would be madness
to attempt r