aw Ben draw the captain
aside and engage him in earnest conversation, while Evil-Eye hung about
as though he burned to put in a word.

His heart almost stopped beating as he watched the captain's face.
Evidently he was not unmoved by Ben's arguments. His countenance
showed he was wavering, and his opposition weakening.

With rising hope, Eric noted this. Evil-Eye saw it too, but with
different feelings. He thought it time to interfere, and, drawing
nearer, began, in a loud, half-threatening tone,--

"Say, now, captain--"

But before he could get out another word Ben wheeled round, his face
aflame with anger. Rising to his utmost height, he drew a pistol from
his belt, and pointing it straight at Evil-Eye's breast, roared out,--

"Hold that tongue of yours, _I_ say, or I'll put a bullet through your
heart before you can wink."

With a start of terror the ruffian shrank away from the giant who
towered above him, and satisfied that he would not venture to interpose
again, Ben resumed his talk with the captain. For a little longer the
dialogue continued. What the arguments were that Ben used, or what
inducements he offered, Eric did not learn until afterwards. But, oh!
what a bound his heart gave when Ben left the captain and came toward
him, his face so full of relief as to seem almost radiant.

"It's all right, my lad," said he, grasping him by the shoulder and
pushing him toward the boat. "You're to come. Let's hurry up now and
get on board."

Too overjoyed to speak, Eric hastened to obey, giving Ben a look of
unspeakable gratitude as he clasped his hand with passionate fervour.
Evil-Eye scowled terribly when the boy sprang into the boat, and dared
only mutter his protests, for clearly enough Ben was in no mood for
trifling, and the captain was evidently quite on his side.

Without waiting for an invitation, Prince promptly leaped in beside his
young master, at which the men in the boat laughed, and the captain
said good-humouredly,--

"Let him come too. He's too good to leave behind."

In a few minutes more, Eric, with a feeling of glad relief beyond all
power of words to express, stood upon the schooner's deck and looked
back at the island which for well nigh half a year had been his
prison--almost his grave.

The low, broad, weather-beaten hut was easily visible. "How good God
was to protect me there!" he thought, as he recalled the many scenes of
violence he had witnessed. "I wonder what is