and had gone down with
the wreck. The spokesman for the steamer did not deem it advisable to
contradict this statement.

Then Ulbach begged for a passage to some port from which he could return
to Paris. A few words passed between the captain and Louis, and the
request was peremptorily refused. The Frenchman begged hard, declaring
that the island was a desolate place, and he should starve there. The
men had come to beg some provisions, as they had not a morsel to eat.

"Give them all they want to eat," replied the captain when the request
was translated to him.

"The Guardian-Mother!" suddenly shouted Felix at the top of his lungs.

All hands gave three rousing cheers, to the astonishment of the
Frenchman and those in the boat. Pitts came out of the galley to
ascertain the cause of the demonstration, and he made out for himself
the bow of the ship passing the point of the cape. A plentiful supply of
food was put into the boat, and the Maud continued on her course.

CHAPTER XV

THE ARRIVAL OF THE GUARDIAN-MOTHER

The appearance of the Guardian-Mother in the offing was hailed with
rejoicing by every person belonging to the Maud. Off on an independent
cruise as the boys were, and "when the cat's away the mice will play,"
it would not have been strange if they had enjoyed their freedom from
the restraining presence and influence of the commander; but no such
feeling pervaded the minds of the ship's company.

Not even the captain of the little steamer had felt that he was in
possession of any unusual liberty. It might have been otherwise with him
and his companions if the threatening presence of the Fatime had not
been a serious damper upon them. As it was, the voyage to Cyprus had
resulted in a tremendous event.

Whatever Scott had said to Louis Belgrave about knocking a hole in the
side of the pirate, as Captain Ringgold had done with the Viking, had no
bearing whatever upon what he had actually done when the critical moment
had come in the encounter. He declared rather lightly that he would
proceed to this extremity if he were the captain of the larger steamer;
but it had not occurred to him to do such a reckless deed with the
little Maud, when his opponent was a steamer of four hundred tons.

Captain Scott and his companions had expected to see the Guardian-Mother
long before she appeared. The commander might naturally have felt some
anxiety in regard to the safety of the Maud in the gale of the night