time absent, the shouting of the
officers and the tramping of the men's feet overhead showing that
various operations were going forward on deck.

"You spoke well and bravely, Norah," exclaimed Captain O'Brien, after
her father had placed her on the sofa, that she might the better attempt
to recover from the fearful agitation she was suffering; "keep to that
tone. Don't tell him how you fear and dislike him, but don't let him
suppose that you are ready to consent to any proposals he may make.
Humour him as much as you can, and above all things don't allude to
Owen, or let him discover that he has a rival in the affection he asks
you to bestow on him."

"Oh no, indeed I will not," said Norah; "and for my father's sake and
yours, I will do all I can to soften his temper and make him treat you
well."

"I wish you to do as Captain O'Brien suggests, for your own sake rather
than for ours," observed her father. "We may defy him, as he can only
murder us; but we wish to live that we may protect you. At present he
appears to be in a tolerably good humour, and well he may, after
capturing our good ship and her valuable cargo. He would rather have
found her laden with ingots and chests of dollars; but she's a richer
prize to him than the _Ouzel Galley_ could have been, laden with
hogsheads of sugar."

"The _Ouzel Galley_!" exclaimed Norah. "Has she fallen into that man's
hands? Oh, father! has he, then, got Owen in his power?"

"He's not likely to have taken Owen's ship without capturing Owen too;
but we know that he could not have put him to death, or Owen couldn't
have sent us the message we received," answered her father.

"Perhaps our capture may, after all, be the means of our discovering
Owen," observed Captain O'Brien. "You will not regret it then so much,
Norah; and if we can regain our liberty, we may, by some means or other,
carry him off also. It's an ill wind that blows no one good, depend on
that."

Terribly alarmed as Norah felt, the idea suggested by Captain O'Brien
somewhat cheered her.

The two captains sat, with Norah between them, endeavouring to prevent
her spirits from sinking. Silence, by all means, was to be avoided,
Captain O'Brien taking upon himself to be the chief spokesman. He did
his best not to allude to the battle, or the slaughter of their brave
crew. Little did Norah think that of all those she had seen that
morning on deck, full of life and activity, not one was then in
exis