ich he stood. Suffice it to say,
that Corrie was now convinced of the good faith of Gascoyne, whom he at
once led, along with Mr Mason, to the tent where Alice and her friends
slept--leaving Thorwald and his men where they were, to await further
orders.

The cry of wild delight with which Alice sprang into her father's arms
might have been destructive of all Gascoyne's plans had not the wind
carried it away from the side of the island where the pirate schooner
lay. There was now no time to be lost. After the first embrace, and a
few hurried words of blessing and thanksgiving, the missionary was
summoned to a consultation.

"I will join you in this enterprise, Mr Gascoyne," said Montague. "I
believe what you say to be true, besides, the urgency of our present
danger leaves me no room for choice. I am in your power. I believe
that in your present penitent condition you are willing to enable us to
escape from your former associates; but I tell you frankly that, if ever
I have an opportunity to do so, I will consider it my duty to deliver
you over to justice."

"Time is too precious to trifle thus," said Gascoyne, hurriedly. "I
have already said that I will deliver myself up--not however to _you_,
but to Mr Mason--after I have rescued the party, so that I am not
likely to claim any consideration from you on account of the obligation
which you seem to think my present act will lay you under. But you must
not accompany me just now."

"Why not?"

"Because your presence may be required here. You and Mr Mason will
remain where you are to guard the girls, until I return. All that I
have to ask is, that you be in readiness to follow me at a moment's
notice when the time comes."

"Of course what you arrange _must_ be agreed to," said Montague.

"Come, Corrie, I will require your assistance. Follow me," said the
pirate captain, as he turned and strode rapidly away.

Corrie was now thoroughly convinced of the good intentions of Gascoyne,
so he followed him without hesitation. Indeed, now that he had an
opportunity of seeing a little more of his gigantic companion, he began
to feel a strange kind of pity and liking for him, but he shuddered and
felt repelled when he thought of the human blood in which his hands must
have been imbrued, for as yet he had not heard of the defence of himself
which Gascoyne had made in the widow's cottage. But he had not much
time to think, for in a few minutes they came upon Ole Tho