oided; this plan being no less than to practically
enslave such portions of the crews of the prospective prizes as refused
to become pirates, and to confine them at Refuge Harbour, there to
perform the large amount of work necessary to the complete furtherance
of Williams' ambitious schemes. But, as may be supposed, this plan,
when put to a practical test, failed. Capture was not in all cases
tamely submitted to--resistance was offered, blood was shed in the
conflict. And when this had once happened all scruples vanished, and
the further step of murdering such prisoners as proved contumacious or
were inconvenient to keep was an easy one; the worst passions of the men
asserted themselves, and breaking loose from all restraint speedily
converted their possessors into very demons.

Miss Stanhope was daily and hourly in peril during the latter part of
that dreadful cruise. Still, thanks to the compact with Ned and the
hold which he still had upon the crew, the unhappy girl had so far
escaped direct threats and open insult. But toward the end of the
cruise matters had reached such a stage that she foresaw the absolute
necessity for effecting her escape immediately upon the arrival of the
ship again at Refuge Harbour. The state of horror and terror into which
she was continually thrown was such that death itself seemed preferable
to a further continuance of such a life as she was then living.

At length the ship once more glided into the secure haven of Refuge
Harbour, and about five o'clock in the evening let go her anchor. The
sails were furled anyhow--discipline having by this time grown very lax
on board the _Flying Cloud_ notwithstanding all Williams' efforts to
maintain it--and then the men, without going through the formality of
asking leave, lowered the boats and went ashore in a body; Sibylla, Ned,
and Williams being left to follow, if they chose, in the dinghy, which
they did, the steward being ordered to remain on board for the night as
anchor watch.

When the dinghy reached the shore its occupants discovered that the
ship's crew--among whom were several new hands who had joined from the
prizes--had already seized a cask of spirits, and were evidently bent
upon a carouse in celebration of the successful completion of their
first cruise. They were then only rough and noisy, the liquor not
having had time to operate; but an hour later the entire band, with a
very few exceptions, had become converted into a