y Beacon_ was in the hands of sea-robbers.

Captain Hagar was a mild-mannered man, an excellent seaman, and of good
common sense. He had before found orders waiting for him at Jamaica, and
had not thought it surprising that orders should now have been sent
after him. He had firearms on board and might have defended himself to a
certain extent, but he had suspected no evil, and when the pirates had
boarded him it was useless to think of arms or defence.

The men who had captured the _Dunkery Beacon_ made very short work of
their business. They simply exchanged vessels. They commanded Captain
Hagar and all his men to go over to the French steamer, while they all
came on board the _Dunkery Beacon_, bringing with them whatever they
cared for. Captain Hagar was told that he could work his new vessel to
any port in the world which suited him best, and then the _Dunkery
Beacon_ was headed southward and steamed away.

When Captain Hagar's engineers attempted to start the engines of their
vessel, they found it impossible to do so. Several important pieces of
the machinery had been taken out, hoisted on deck, and dropped
overboard. Whatever port they might make, they must make it under sail.

A broken-hearted and dejected man was Captain Hagar. He had lost a vast
treasure which had been entrusted to him, and he had not ceased to
wonder why the pirates had not murdered him and all his crew, and thrown
them overboard. He hoped that in time he and his men might reach
Georgetown, or some other port, but it would be slow and disheartening
work under the circumstances.

Captain Horn was also greatly cast down by the news he had received.
With the least possible amount of trouble, the pirates had carried off,
not only the treasure, but the ship which conveyed it, and now in all
probability were far away with their booty. He could understand very
well why they would not undertake such wholesale crime as the murder of
all the people on the _Dunkery_, for it is probable that there were men
among them who could not be trusted even had the leaders been willing to
undertake such useless bloodshed. If Captain Hagar and his men were set
adrift on a steamer without machinery, it would be long before they
could reach any port, and even if they should soon speak a vessel and
report their misfortune, where was the policeman of the sea who would
have authority to sail after the stolen vessel, or, if he had, would
know on what course to follow he