"But we stuck to our principles. We never did commit murder. And as our appearance was always sufficient to cause the colors of any ship we ever came across to be hauled down at once, there has been no occasion for shedding blood, even in fair and open fight. Do you believe me, Mary?" said Gascoyne, pausing at this point.
The widow was still silent; but a slight inclination of her head satisfied the pirate, who was about to resume, when Mr. Mason said: "Gascoyne, do you call warfare in the cause of robbery by the name of 'fair and open fight?'"
"No, I do not. Yet there have been great generals and admirals in this world who have committed wholesale murder in this same cause, and whose names stand high on the roll of fame!"
A look of scorn rested on the pirate's face as he said this, but it passed away quickly.
"You tell me that there were some of the men in the schooner whom you kept aboard against their will!" said Mr. Mason. "Did it never occur to you, Gascoyne, that you may have been the murderer of the souls of these men?"
The pirate made no reply for some time, and the troubled, anxious look that had more than once crossed his face returned.
"Yes," said he, at length, "I have thought of that. But it is done now, and cannot be undone. I can do no more now than give myself up to justice. You see, I have thrown away my arms and stand here defenseless. But I did not come here to plead for mercy. I came to make to you all the reparation I can for the wrong I have done you. When that last act is completed, you may do with me what you please. I deserve to die, and I care not to live."
"O Gascoyne! speak not thus!" exclaimed the widow, earnestly. "However much and deeply you have sinned against man, if you have not taken life you do not deserve to die. Besides, there is a way of pardon open to the very chief of sinners."
"I know what you mean, Mary, I know what you mean; but—well, well, this is neither the time nor place to talk of such things. Your little girl, Mr. Mason, is in the hands of the pirates."
"I know that," said the missionary, wincing as if he had received a deep wound; "but she is not in your power now."
"More's the pity; she would have been safer with me than with my first mate, who is the greatest villain afloat on the high seas. He does not like our milk-and-water style of robbing. He is an out-and-out pirate in heart, and has long desired to cut my throat. I have to thank him for being here to-night. Some of the crew who are like himself seized me while I was asleep, bound and gagged me, put me into a boat, and rowed me ashore; for we had easily escaped the Talisman in the squall, and, doubling on our course, came back here. The mate was anxious to clear off old scores by cutting my throat at once, and pitching me into the sea. Luckily some of the men, not so bloodthirsty as he, objected to this; so I was landed and cast loose."
"But what of Alice?" cried Mr. Mason, anxiously. "How can we save her?"
"By taking my advice," answered Gascoyne. "You have a small cutter at anchor off the creek at the foot of the hill. Put a few trusty men aboard of her, and I will guide you to the island where the Avenger has been wont to fly when hard pressed."
"But how do you know that Manton will go there?" inquired Henry, eagerly.
"Because he is short of powder, and all our stores are concealed there, besides much of our ill-gotten wealth."
"And how can you expect us to put ourselves so completely in your power?" said Mr. Mason.
"Because you must do so if you would save your child. She is safe now, I know, and will be until the Avenger leaves the island where our stores are concealed. If we do not save her before that happens, she is lost to you forever!"
"That no man can say. She is in the hands of God," cried Mr. Mason, fervently.
"True, true," said Gascoyne, musing. "But God does not work by miracles. We must be up and doing at once. I promise you that I shall be faithful, and that, after the work is done, I will give myself up to justice."
"May we trust him, mother?" said Henry.
"You may trust him, my son," replied the widow, in a tone of decision that satisfied Henry, while it called forth a look of gratitude from the pirate.
The party now proceeded to arrange the details of their plan for the rescue of Alice and her companions. These were speedily settled, and Henry rose to go and put them in train. He turned the key of the door, and was on the point of lifting the latch, when this was done for him by some one on the outside. He had just time to step back, when the door flew open, and he stood face to face with Hugh Barnes the cooper.
"Have you heard the news, Henry?—hallo!"
This abrupt exclamation was caused by the sight of Gascoyne, who rose quietly the moment he heard the door open, and turning his back towards it, walked slowly into a small apartment that opened off the widow's parlor, and shut the door.
"I say, Henry, who's that big fellow?" said the cooper, casting a suspicious glance towards the little room into which he had disappeared.
"He is a friend of mine," replied Mrs. Stuart, rising hastily, and welcoming her visitor.
"Humph! it's well he's a friend," said the man, as he took a chair; "I shouldn't like to have him for an enemy."
"But what is the news you were so anxious to tell us?" inquired Henry.
"That Gascoyne, the pirate captain, has been seen on the island by some of the women, and there's a regular hunt organizing. Will you go with us?"
"I have more important work to do, Hugh," replied Henry; "besides, I want you to go with me on a hunt which I'll tell you about if you'll come with me to the creek."
"By all means. Come along."
Henry and the cooper at once left the cottage. The latter was let into the secret, and prevailed on to form one of the crew of the Wasp, as the little cutter was named. In the course of the afternoon everything was in readiness. Gascoyne waited till the dusk of evening, and then embarked along with Ole Thorwald; that stout individual having insisted on being one of the party, despite the remonstrances of Mr. Mason, who did not like to leave the settlement, even for a brief period, so completely deprived of all its leading men. But Ole entertained a suspicion that Gascoyne intended to give them the slip; and having privately made up his mind to prevent this, he was not to be denied.
The men who formed the crew—twelve in number—were selected from among those natives and settlers who were known never to have seen the pirate captain. They were chosen with a view to their fighting qualities; for Gascoyne and Henry were sufficient for the management of the little craft. There were no large guns on board, but all the men were well armed with cutlasses, muskets, and pistols.
Thus equipped, the Wasp stood out to sea with a light breeze, just as the moon rose on the coral reef and cast a shower of sparkling silver across the bay.
CHAPTER XXI.
A Terrible Doom for an Innocent Man
"So, you're to be hanged for a pirate, Jo Bumpus, ye are. That's pleasant to think of, anyhow."
Such was the remark which our stout seaman addressed to himself when he awoke on the second morning after the departure of the Wasp. If the thought was really as pleasant as he asserted it to be, his visage must have been a bad index to the state of his mind; for at that particular moment Joe looked uncommonly miserable.
The wonted good-humored expression of his countenance had given place to a gaze of stereotyped surprise and solemnity. Indeed, Bumpus seemed to have parted with much of his reason, and all of his philosophy; for he could say nothing else during at least half an hour after awaking except the phrase, "So you're going to be hanged for a pirate." His comments on the phrase were, however, a little varied, though always brief; such as, "Wot a sell! Who'd ha'