leave; it's all right, though." Jack said this
after he had lifted the young lady in his arms, and was carrying her up
the ladder. As he remarked, there was no time for ceremony. Everything
depended on the rapidity with which they could accomplish their
enterprise.

"Thank you, thank you, sir; I trust you," said the young lady in a
foreign accent.

Murray, who always admired Jack's plans when anything dashing was to be
done, followed as fast as he could, helping the old lady along. He
would have had great difficulty in making progress, had not Jos the
Malay comprehended what was required. So he seized her under one arm,
while Alick lifted her under the other, and thus, without molestation,
they followed Jack on board the junk.

Jack rushed into their cabin, and placed his fair burden on a chair,
when Alick and Jos bundled the old lady in after her, with a very scant
ceremony; indeed there was no time for any; and then they closed the
door and walked a little way off, and tried to look as unconcerned as if
they had done nothing to merit the anger of the pirates.

"I begged the young lady not to be alarmed, and entreated her to try and
keep the old one quiet, promising to defend them with our lives,"
observed Jack.

"Of course we will do so, and Jos will stick by us, won't you, Jos?"
said Murray.

"Yes, sare," answered the Malay; "but if Chinese come aboard, dey cut
all our throats. Stay do--Jos know what he do."

There was a peculiar, fierce, vindictive look on the countenance of the
Malay as he spoke, which boded mischief. Without uttering another word
he sprang on board the brig, and disappeared among the crowd who were
hurrying to and fro below, removing the cargo.

Just then Murray pointed out to Jack the brave captain and mate of the
brig sitting on deck, lashed with their hands behind them to the
mainmast.

"When those wretches have glutted themselves with booty, they will
indulge their evil tempers by tormenting those poor fellows. Could we
not manage to release them while no one is watching us, and let them
hide themselves on board their junk? We may, perhaps, by and by be able
to form some plan to escape together."

"With all my heart," answered Jack. "No time like the present. Here
goes."

Saying this, he and Murray seized their swords, which they had stuck
into the bulwarks, and a few springs brought them up to where the
captain and mate were sitting. In an instant the knives were at