st nearly taking it," Ralph said with a smile.

"Ah, that was just as much your fault as ours. Little fish ought to
get out of the way of great ones, and I don't consider we were in any
way to blame in that matter. Still there is the fact in the first
place we saved your life, and in the second we treated you kindly."

"I acknowledge that, sir," Ralph said earnestly; "and I feel very
grateful. You might have sent me with the crew of that bark to prison
had you chosen, and I am thankful to you that you kept me on board and
have treated me as one of the crew."

"Now, what I have to say to you is this lad: I know that you are
comfortable enough on board, and I have noticed that Jacques here has
taken you specially under his wing. You work willingly and well and
have the makings of a first-class seaman in you; still I can
understand that you would much rather be with your own people, and
would be rather aiding them in capturing us than in aiding us to
capture them. Consequently you will if you see an opportunity probably
try to escape. I shall take as good care as I can to prevent you from
doing so, and shall shoot you without hesitation if I catch you at it.
Still you may escape, and I cannot run the risk of having this place
discovered and our trade knocked on the head. I therefore offer you an
alternative. You will either give me your solemn oath not in any case
to reveal the existence of this place, or I will put you on shore in
charge of the party who remain here, and you will stop with them a
prisoner till we sail away from this cruising ground, which may be in
three months or may be in a year. What do you say? Don't answer me
hastily, and do not take the oath unless you are convinced you can
keep it however great the temptation held out to you to betray us."

Ralph needed but a minute to consider the proposal. The oath did not
bind him in any way to abstain from making an attempt to escape, but
simply to guard the secret of the privateer rendezvous. If he remained
here on shore he would have no chance whatever of escape, and might
moreover meet with very rough treatment from those left in charge of
him. "I am quite ready to take the oath not to reveal the secret of
this place, captain," he said. "I do not think that in any case after
having been so kindly treated by you I should have been inclined to
betray you. However as you offer me the alternative I am ready to take
any oath you like of silence, and that oath