there might be pryin' eyes about, I've closed the porthole, d'ye see."

Gascoyne listened to this familiar style of address in surprise, but did
not suffer his features to betray any emotion whatever. The lantern
which the seaman (for such he evidently was) carried in his hand threw a
strong light wherever its front was turned, but left every other part of
the cell in partial darkness. The reflected light was, however, quite
sufficient to enable the prisoner to see that his visitor was a short,
thick-set man, of great physical strength, and that three men of unusual
size and strength stood against the wall, in the deep shadow of a
recess, with their straw hats pulled very much over their eyes.

"Now, Mister Gascoyne," began the seaman, sitting down on the edge of
the small table beside the low pallet, and raising the lantern a little,
while he gazed earnestly into the prisoner's face, "I've reason to
believe--"

"Ha! you are the boatswain of the _Talisman_," exclaimed Gascoyne, as
the light reflected from his own countenance irradiated that of Dick
Price, whom, of course, he had seen frequently while they were on board
the frigate together.

"No, mister pirate," said Dick; "I am _not_ the bo's'n of the
_Talisman_, else I shouldn't be here this night. I _wos_ the bo's'n of
that unfortunate frigate, but I is so no longer."

Dick said this in a melancholy tone, and thereafter meditated for a few
moments in silence.

"No," he resumed with a heavy sigh, "the _Talisman's_ blow'd up, an' her
bo's'n's out on the spree--so to speak,--though it ain't a cheerful
spree by no means. But to come back to the pint, (w'ich wos wot the
clergyman said w'en he'd got so far away from the pint that he never
_did_ get back to it,) as I wos sayin', or was agoin' to say w'en you
prewented me, I've reason to b'lieve you're agoin' to try for to make
yer escape."

"You are mistaken, my man," said Gascoyne, with a sad smile; "nothing is
farther from my thoughts."

"I don't know how far it's from yer thoughts," said Dick, sternly, "but
it's pretty close to your intentions, so I'm told."

"Indeed you are mistaken," replied Gascoyne. "If Captain Montague has
sent you here to mount guard he has only deprived you of a night's rest
needlessly. If I had intended to make my escape I would not have given
myself up."

"I don't know that--I'm not so sure o' that," rejoined the boatswain
stoutly. "You're said to be a obstinate feller, and