the
taper masts and yards of his vessel traced dimly against the sky.

The pirate's movements now became more cautious. He stepped slowly, and
paused frequently to listen. At last he went down on his hands and knees
and crept forward for a considerable distance in that position, until he
reached a ledge of rocks that overhung the shore of the bay. Here he
observed an object like a round lump of rock, lying a few yards before
him, on a spot where he was well aware no such rock had previously
existed. It moved after a moment or two. Gascoyne knew that there were
no wild animals of any kind on the island, and, therefore, at once
jumped to the conclusion that this must needs be a human being of some
sort. Drawing his knife he put it between his teeth, and creeping
noiselessly towards the object in question, laid his strong hand on the
neck of the horrified Will Corrie.

That adventurous and desperate little hero having lain sleepless and
miserable at the feet of Alice until the squall blew the tent over their
heads, got up and assisted Montague to erect it anew in a more sheltered
position, after which, saying that he meant to take a midnight ramble on
the shore to cool his fevered brow, he made straight for the sea,
stepped knee-deep into the raging surf, and bared his breast to the
furious blast.

This cooled him so effectually that he took to running along shore in
order to warm himself. Then it occurred to him that the night was
particularly favorable for a sly peep at the pirates. Without a moment's
hesitation, he walked and stumbled towards the high part of the island,
at which he arrived just half an hour before Gascoyne reached it. He had
seen nothing, however, and was on the point of advancing still further
in his explorations, when he was discovered as we have seen.

Gascoyne instantly turned the boy over on his back, and nipped a
tremendous yell in the bud by grasping his wind-pipe.

"Why, Corrie!" exclaimed Gascoyne, in surprise, at the same time
loosening his grip, though still holding the boy down.

"Ah! you villain, you rascally pirate. _I_ know you; I--"

The pipe was gently squeezed at this point, and the sentence abruptly
cut short.

"Come, boy, you must not speak so loud. Enemies are near. If you don't
behave I'll have to throttle you. I have come from Sandy Cove with a
party to save you and your friends."

Corrie did not believe a word of this. He knew, or at least he supposed,
that Gascoyne h