at the other side of the
island; but, while engaged in a fruitless attempt to screw something out
of Corrie, who was peculiarly refractory, they were interrupted, first
by the yells of Bumpus and his pig, and afterwards by the sudden
appearance of Henry and his party on the edge of a cliff a short way
above the spot where they were assembled. On seeing these, the pirates
started to their feet and drew their cutlasses, while Henry uttered a
shout and ran down the rocks like a deer.

"Shall we have a stand-up fight with 'em, Bill?" said one of the
pirates.

"Not if I can help it; there's four to one," replied the other.

"To the boat," cried several of the men, leading the way; "and let's
take the brats with us."

As Henry's party came pouring down the hill the more combatively
disposed of the pirates saw at glance that it would be in vain to
attempt a stand. They therefore discharged a scattering volley from
their pistols (happily without effect), and, springing into their boat,
pushed off from the shore, taking the children along with them.

Mr. Mason was the first to gain the beach. He had hit upon a shorter
path by which to descend, and, rushing forward, plunged into the sea.
Poor little Alice, who at once recognized her father, stretched out her
arms towards him, and would certainly have leaped into the sea had she
not been forcibly detained by one of the pirates, whose special duty it
was to hold her with one hand, while he restrained the violent
demonstrations of Corrie with the other.

The father was too late, however. Already the boat was several yards
from the shore, and the frantic efforts he made, in the madness of his
despair, to overtake it only served to exhaust him. When Henry Stuart
reached the beach, it was with difficulty he prevented those members of
his band who carried muskets from firing on the boat. None of them
thought for a moment, of course, of making the mad attempt to swim
towards her. Indeed, Mr. Mason himself would have hesitated to do so had
he been capable of cool thought at the time; but the sudden rush of hope
when he heard of his child being near, combined with the agony of
disappointment on seeing her torn, as it were, out of his very grasp,
was too much for him. His reasoning powers were completely overturned;
he continued to buffet the waves with wild energy, and to strain every
fiber of his being in the effort to propel himself through the water,
long after the boat was hopel