officers were known to the buccaneers. The fact that I was an
officer, of which they had apparently been ignorant, seemed to give
the men much pleasure. Some of them, no doubt, had once been king's
men, and knew without any telling the gravity of their offense. I
wasted no more words on them. They took me to a wooden shanty
standing by itself, tied me to a staple in the wall, shut and
padlocked the door, and went away.

Left to myself, I sought for some explanation of this new addition
to the catalogue of my mischances. What were buccaneers doing on
this estate? Had they quitted for the nonce their usual work of
snapping up cargo ships? Had they made a raid upon the house and
served Vetch as they had served me? I had no pity for him, but the
thought of the sore straits in which Mistress Lucy might be filled
me with disquiet and alarm.

And then another explanation flashed into my mind. Was it possible
that the men had been hired by Vetch himself in pursuance of some
villainous scheme for keeping Mistress Lucy in his power? I thought
of this until it became a conviction. Mistress Lucy's friends in
Spanish Town were surprised and hurt at the absence of news from
her; her silence must be due to Vetch. His motive was not far to
seek. Cludde had been boasting of the bride awaiting him in
Jamaica; I could not doubt that Vetch was holding her in durance
until Cludde should arrive, and, her minority having expired, she
could be cajoled or forced into a marriage with him. It was
essential to the success of this piece of villainy that she should
be kept from communication with her friends, and nothing was more
natural than that Vetch should hire a gang of buccaneers to assist
him in accomplishing his end. I marveled at his audacity, and
burned with rage at my utter helplessness.

It did not occur to me at first that Vetch would know who it was
that his hirelings had entrapped. I supposed that he had
established a system of ambushing, so that whoever should arrive at
the place might be prevented, if need were, from having speech with
Mistress Lucy and learning of the restraint in which she was held.
But on considering this matter further I doubted whether even Vetch
would have dared to go this length, for if people came from Spanish
Town and did not return, it would certainly be suspected that
something was wrong, and I could scarcely believe that no notice
would have been taken of it by the authorities, civil or military.
Th