not be certain; but do you
say, sir, that you are Captain Musgrave's son? I have only heard you
called Mr Harry, and I did not know it before, or I should have spoken
to you."

"Yes, Captain Musgrave, who commanded the `Amphion,' was my father, and
we have long given him up for lost," I replied. "Do you think that he
remained at the place where the ship was wrecked, or was he carried off
by the pirates?"

"He was not carried off by those who took us, for he and the first mate
and two seamen had gone up the country, and so escaped. Three others
were taken with me, but what became of them I do not know, may be they
were drowned or krissed by the Malays, as I never saw them again;
indeed, it is a wonder that I am alive, seeing what I have gone through.
The fellows who first got hold of me did not keep me long, but sold me
to another gang. They and I were afterwards wrecked, and when we were
trying to make our escape on board some canoes we had built, we were
overtaken by another fleet of pirates, who killed most of my companions.
They spared my life, but sold me after some time to the people to whom
the prahu belonged, from the wreck of which you picked me up."

"You must come aft and narrate what you have told me to the first mate,"
I said.

I ran down to tell the captain and first mate, who directed me to bring
Ned below, that they might hear his story. Having cross-questioned him
far more than I had done, they were perfectly satisfied that he had
spoken the truth, though they found it impossible to make out where the
`Amphion' had been wrecked. They put a chart before him, but he was
utterly unable to guess where the wreck had occurred, or even to point
out Singapore, where we then were. Thus we were left in doubt whether
the `Amphion' had been lost on the coast of Borneo or on that of Celebes
or Gillolo, or even as far east as New Guinea.

Ned's account made my uncle and me more eager than ever to continue the
voyage. The captain fully entered into our feelings, but at the same
time he felt that it was his duty to attend to the interests of the
owners, and to visit only the places where trade could be carried on.
The Dutch, who hold possession of Java and many of the Spice Islands to
the eastward, throw so many difficulties in the way of commerce for the
sake of keeping it in their own hands, that the captain had been
directed not to visit any of their ports if he could avoid doing so.
Our object therefo