what, captain?" I said excitedly.

"Here, let's do a bit o' bounce for once in our lives," said the bluff
old fellow. "Get out your revolvers and shooting-tackle, and let's see
if we can't frighten the beggars. Only mind, doctor, and you too, my
young bantam, our weapons is only for show. No firing, mind; but if we
can bully those chaps into giving up their blackbirds, why we will."

The boat was lowered, and with a goodly display of what Jack Penny
called dangerous ironmongery, we started with three men, but not until
the captain had seen that the Malay was safely secured. Then we
started, and the people aboard the other schooner were so busy with
their captives that we got alongside, and the captain, Doctor Grant, and
I had climbed on deck before a red-faced fellow with a violently
inflamed nose came up to us, and, with an oath, asked what we wanted
there.

"Here, you speak," whispered the captain to Doctor Grant. "I'm riled,
and I shall be only using more bad language than is good for these
youngsters to hear. Give it to him pretty warm, though, all the same,
doctor."

"D'yer hear?" said the red-faced fellow again. "What do you want here?"

"Those poor wretches, you slave-dealing ruffian," cried the doctor, who
looked quite white as he drew himself up and seemed to tower over the
captain of the other schooner, who took a step back in astonishment, but
recovered himself directly and advanced menacingly.

"Come for them, have you, eh?" he roared; "then you'll go without 'em.
Here, over you go; off my ship, you--"

The scoundrel did not finish his speech, for as he spoke he clapped a
great rough hairy paw on the doctor's shoulder, and then our friend
seemed to shrink back at the contact; but it was only to gather force,
like a wave, for, somehow, just then his fist seemed to dart out, and
the ruffianly captain staggered back and then fell heavily on the deck.

Half a dozen men sprang forward at this, but Doctor Grant did not
flinch, he merely took out his revolver and examined its lock, saying:

"Will you have these poor fellows got into our boat, captain?"

"Ay, ay, doctor," cried our skipper; and the slave-dealing crew shrank
back and stared as we busily handed down the blackbirds, as the captain
kept on calling them.

Poor creatures, they were still half-stunned and two of them were
bleeding, and it must have seemed to then? that they were being tossed
out of the frying-pan into the fire, and that