ontempt. He had, he said, sailed in the
China Sea and the Indian Ocean too long to be afraid of any hog-eating
Yankee pirate such as this Blueskin. A junk full of coolies armed with
stink-pots was something to speak of, but who ever heard of the likes of
Blueskin falling afoul of anything more than a Spanish canoe or a Yankee
coaster?

Levi grinned. "All the same, my hearty," said he, "if I was you I'd
give Blueskin a wide berth. I hear that he's cleaned the vessel that was
careened awhile ago, and mebby he'll give you a little trouble if you
come too nigh him."

To this the Englishman only answered that Blueskin might be----, and
that the next afternoon, wind and weather permitting, he intended to
heave anchor and run out to sea.

Levi laughed again. "I wish I might be here to see what'll happen," said
he, "but I'm going up the river to-night to see a gal and mebby won't be
back again for three or four days."

The next afternoon the English bark set sail as the captain promised,
and that night Lewes town was awake until almost morning, gazing at a
broad red glare that lighted up the sky away toward the southeast. Two
days afterward a negro oysterman came up from Indian River with news
that the pirates were lying off the inlet, bringing ashore bales of
goods from their larger vessel and piling the same upon the beach under
tarpaulins. He said that it was known down at Indian River that Blueskin
had fallen afoul of an English bark, had burned her and had murdered the
captain and all but three of the crew, who had joined with the pirates.

The excitement over this terrible happening had only begun to subside
when another occurred to cap it. One afternoon a ship's boat, in which
were five men and two women, came rowing into Lewes harbor. It was the
longboat of the Charleston packet, bound for New York, and was commanded
by the first mate. The packet had been attacked and captured by the
pirates about ten leagues south by east of Cape Henlopen. The pirates
had come aboard of them at night and no resistance had been offered.
Perhaps it was that circumstance that saved the lives of all, for no
murder or violence had been done. Nevertheless, officers, passengers
and crew had been stripped of everything of value and set adrift in
the boats and the ship herself had been burned. The longboat had become
separated from the others during the night and had sighted Henlopen a
little after sunrise.

It may be here said that Squi