ind to his captives to the extent of simply letting them
alone. He declined to hold any intercourse whatever with Captain
Montague, and forbade him to speak with the men upon pain of being
confined to his berth. The young people were allowed to do as they
pleased, so long as they kept out of the way.

On reaching the Isle of Palms the pirates at once proceeded to take in
those stores of which they stood in need. The harbor into which the
schooner ran was a narrow bay, on the shores of which the palm trees
grew sufficiently high to prevent her masts being seen from the other
side of the island. Here the captives were landed; but as Manton did not
wish them to witness his proceedings, he sent them across the islet
under the escort of a party who conveyed them to the shores of a small
bay. On the rocks in this bay lay the wreck of what once had been a
noble ship. It was now completely dismantled. Her hull was stove in by
the rocks. Her masts and yards were gone, with the exception of their
stumps and the lower part of the main-mast, to which the mainyard still
hung with a ragged portion of the mainsail attached to it.

A feeling of depression filled the breast of Montague and his
companions as they came in sight of this wreck, and the former attempted
to obtain some information in regard to her from his conductors; but
they sternly bade him ask no questions. Some time afterwards he heard
the story of this vessel's fate. We shall record it here.

Not many months prior to the date of our tale, the Avenger happened to
have occasion to run down to the Isle of Palms. Gascoyne was absent at
the time. He had been landed at Sandy Cove, and had ordered Manton to go
to the rendezvous for supplies. On nearing the isle a storm arose. The
wind was fair, however, and the schooner ran for her destination under
close-reefed sails. Just before reaching it they fell in with a large
full-rigged ship, which, on sighting the schooner, ran up her flag
half-mast high, as a signal of distress. She had sprung a leak, and was
sinking.

Had the weather been calmer, the pirates would have at once boarded the
vessel and carried her as a prize into the harbor; but the sea ran so
high that this was impossible. Manton therefore ran down as close to the
side of the merchantman (for such she seemed to be) as enabled him to
hail her through the speaking-trumpet. When sufficiently near he
demanded her name and destination.

"The Brilliant, from Liverpoo