. "However," said he,
"sit down, Ralph, and I'll tell you all about it."

"You see, after we left the boat an' began to push through the bushes, we
went straight for the line of my musket, as I had expected; but by some
unlucky chance it didn't explode, for I saw the line torn away by the
men's legs, and heard the click o' the lock; so I fancy the priming had
got damp and didn't catch. I was in a great quandary now what to do, for
I couldn't concoct in my mind, in the hurry, any good reason for firin'
off my piece. But they say necessity's the mother of invention; so, just
as I was givin' it up and clinchin' my teeth to bide the worst o't, and
take what should come, a sudden thought came into my head. I stepped out
before the rest, seemin' to be awful anxious to be at the savages,
tripped my foot on a fallen tree, plunged head foremost into a bush, an',
ov coorse, my carbine exploded! Then came such a screechin' from the
camp as I never heard in all my life. I rose at once, and was rushin' on
with the rest when the captain called a halt.

{The dying pirate: p334.jpg}

"'You did that a-purpose, you villain!' he said, with a tremendous oath,
and, drawin' a pistol from his belt, let fly right into my breast. I
fell at once, and remembered no more till I was startled and brought
round by the most awful yell I ever heard in my life, except, maybe, the
shrieks o' them poor critters that were crushed to death under yon big
canoe. Jumpin' up, I looked round, and, through the trees, saw a fire
gleamin' not far off, the light o' which showed me the captain and men
tied hand and foot, each to a post, and the savages dancin' round them
like demons. I had scarce looked for a second, when I saw one o' them go
up to the captain flourishing a knife, and, before I could wink, he
plunged it into his breast, while another yell, like the one that roused
me, rang upon my ear. I didn't wait for more, but, bounding up, went
crashing through the bushes into the woods. The black fellows caught
sight of me, however, but not in time to prevent me jumpin' into the
boat, as you know."

Bill seemed to be much exhausted after this recital, and shuddered
frequently during the narrative, so I refrained from continuing the
subject at that time, and endeavoured to draw his mind to other things.

"But now, Bill," said I, "it behoves us to think about the future, and
what course of action we shall pursue. Here we are, on the wide Pacific,