lease us," I answered. "Our host, or jailor, or whatever you
like to call him, is a queer chap--he'll probably make us give him our
word of honour that we'll keep close tongues."

"He could have done that without bringing us here," she remarked.

"Ah, but he wanted to make sure!" said I. "He's taking no risks.
However, I'm sure he means no harm to us. Under other conditions, I
shouldn't have objected to meeting him. He's--a character."

"Interesting, certainly," she agreed. "Do you think he really is
a--pirate?"

"I don't think he'll have any objection to making that quite clear to
us if he is," I replied, cynically. "I should say he'd be rather proud
of it. But--I think we shall hear a good deal of him before we get our
freedom."

I was right there. Baxter seemed almost wistfully anxiously to talk
with us--he behaved like a man who for a long time had small
opportunity of conversation with the people he would like to converse
with, and he kept us both talking as the afternoon faded into evening
and the evening fell towards night. He was a good talker, too, and
knew much of books and politics and of men, and could make shrewd
remarks, tinged, it seemed to me, with a little cynicism that was more
good-humoured than bitter. The time passed rapidly in this fashion;
supper-time arrived; the meal, as good and substantial as any dinner,
was served in the little saloon-like cabin by the soft-footed Chinaman
who, other than Baxter, was the only living soul we had seen since the
Frenchman went away in the boat; all through it Baxter kept up his
ready flow of talk while punctiliously observing his duties as host.
Until then, the topics had been of a general nature, such as one might
have heard dealt with at any gentleman's table, but when supper was
over and the Chinaman had left us alone, he turned on us with a queer,
inquisitive smile.

"You think me a strange fellow," he said. "Don't deny it!--I am, and I
don't mind who thinks it. Or--who knows it."

I made no reply beyond an acquiescent nod, but Miss Raven--who, all
through this adventure, showed a coolness and resourcefulness which I
can never sufficiently praise--looked steadily at him.

"I think you must have seen and known some strange things," she said
quietly.

"Aye--and done some!" he answered, with a laugh that had more of
harshness in it than was usual with him. Then he glanced at me. "Mr.
Middlebrook, there, from what he told me this afternoon, knows a bi