d be made to
pay heavy fines.

"The only way that you have to show your earnestness in the matter,"
Wilkinson said, "is to organize yourselves. You have no doubt plenty of
boats, and the first time that a pirate comes in here row out from all
your villages, attack and burn it, and don't leave a man alive to tell
the tale. In that way the pirates will very soon learn that they'd
better choose some other spot for their rendezvous, and the authorities
will be well content with your conduct."

The amount of spoil taken was so great that the _Tigress_, when she set
sail again, was nearly a foot deeper in the water than when she entered
the bay. The prisoners had been the subject of much discussion. It was
agreed that they were probably no worse than their comrades who had
escaped, and they did not like the thought of handing them over to be
executed. They were, therefore, on the third day after the arrival of
the brig, brought up on deck. Three dozen lashes were administered to
each, then they were given one of the boats in which they had attacked
the ship, and told to go.

CHAPTER XV.

CRUISING.

Before sailing, the yellow band was painted out, for the pirates who
escaped would probably carry the news of what had happened over the
whole archipelago. Ten men were put on board each of the prizes, and the
_Tigress_ sailed up through the islands and escorted them to Smyrna,
where the pasha, after hearing an account of their capture, at once gave
permission for them to be sold as prizes, and as the news of the retreat
of the French had given a considerable impetus to trade, they fetched
good prices. As soon as this was arranged, the _Tigress_ sailed away
again. For some months they cruised among the islands, putting into
every little bay and inlet, boarding every craft found there, and
searching her thoroughly to see if there was any property belonging to
plundered vessels on board.

Once or twice she came upon two or three large craft together, and had
some hard fighting before she captured or sank them; but, as a rule, the
crews rowed ashore as soon as they saw the real nature of the new-comer.
Some thirty craft were sent as prizes into Smyrna or Rhodes, and there
sold, as many more were sunk or burned. They had, in no case, found
spoil at all equal to that which had been captured at Astropalaia, but
the total was nevertheless considerable. Once or twice they were
attacked by boats when anchored in quiet bays,