deck and placed in a row before the captain, who cast his eyes
upon them in severe scrutiny. The bishop and his niece looked round, the
one proudly meeting the eye of Cain, although he felt that his hour was
come; the other carefully avoiding his gaze, and glancing round to
ascertain whether there were any other prisoners, and if so, if her
betrothed was amongst them; but her eye discovered not what she
sought--it was met only by the bearded faces of the pirate crew, and the
blood which bespattered the deck.

She covered her face with her hands.

'Bring that man forward,' said Cain, pointing to the servant. 'Who are
you?'

'A servant of my lord the bishop.'

'And you?' continued the captain.

'A poor sacristan attending upon my lord the bishop.'

'And you?' cried he to a third.

'The supercargo of this vessel.'

'Put him aside, Hawkhurst!'

'Do you want the others?' inquired Hawkhurst significantly.

'No.'

Hawkhurst gave a signal to some of the pirates, who led away the
sacristan and the servant. A stifled shriek and a heavy plunge in the
water were heard a few seconds after. During this time the pirate had
been questioning the supercargo as to the contents of the vessel and
her stowage, when he was suddenly interrupted by one of the pirates,
who, in a hurried voice, stated that the ship had received several shot
between wind and water and was sinking fast. Cain, who was standing on
the slide of the carronade with his sword in his hand, raised his arm
and struck the pirate a blow on the head with the hilt, which, whether
intended or not, fractured his skull, and the man fell upon the deck.

'Take that, babbler, for your intelligence; if these men are obstinate,
we may have worked for nothing.'

The crew, who felt the truth of their captain's remark, did not appear
to object to the punishment inflicted, and the body of the man was
dragged away.

'What mercy can we expect from those who show no mercy even to each
other?' observed the bishop, lifting his eyes to heaven.

'Silence!' cried Cain, who now interrogated the supercargo as to the
contents of the hold--the poor man answered as well as he could--'the
plate! the money for the troops--where are they?'

'The money for the troops is in the spirit-room, but of the plate I know
nothing; it is in some of the cases belonging to my lord the bishop.'

'Hawkhurst! down at once to the spirit-room and see to the money; in the
meantime I will ask a few ques