islands in a somewhat curious way. Sit down here and I'll tell 'ee the
little I know about her."

Father and son sat down on a mass of coral rock that had been washed up
on the beach during some heavy gale, and for a few minutes gazed in
silence on the beautiful lagoon, in which not only the islets, but the
brilliant moon and even the starry hosts were mirrored faithfully.

"About thirteen years ago," said the captain, "two pirate junks in the
Sunda Straits attacked a British barque, and, after a fight, captured
her. Some o' the crew were killed in action, some were taken on board
the junks to be held to ransom, I s'pose, and some, jumping into the sea
to escape if possible by swimming, were probably drowned, for they were
a considerable distance from land. It was one o' these fellows,
however, who took to the water that managed to land on the Java shore,
more dead than alive. He gave information about the affair, and was the
cause of a gun-boat, that was in these waters at the time, bein' sent
off in chase o' the pirate junks.

"This man who swam ashore was a Lascar. He said that the chief o' the
pirates, who seemed to own both junks, was a big ferocious Malay with
only one eye--he might have added with no heart at all, if what he said
o' the scoundrel was true, for he behaved with horrible cruelty to the
crew o' the barque. After takin' all he wanted out of his prize he
scuttled her, and then divided the people that were saved alive between
the two junks. There were several passengers in the vessel; among them
a young man--a widower--with a little daughter, four year old or so. He
was bound for Calcutta. Being a very powerful man he fought like a lion
to beat the pirates off, but he was surrounded and at last knocked down
by a blow from behind. Then his arms were made fast and he was sent wi'
the rest into the biggest junk.

"This poor fellow recovered his senses about the time the pirates were
dividin' the prisoners among them. He seemed dazed at first, so said
the Lascar, but as he must have bin in a considerable funk himself I
suspect his observations couldn't have bin very correct. Anyhow, he
said he was sittin' near the side o' the junk beside this poor man,
whose name he never knew, but who seemed to be an Englishman from his
language, when a wild scream was heard in the other junk. It was the
little girl who had caught sight of her father and began to understand
that she was going to be separate