which had befallen her companion, and that we had got
safe over the bar, had put about, and stood back again to her anchorage.

"I should have begrudged the rascals our anchor and cable," said Peter.
"But as we have got Mr Stenning back safe, they are welcome to them,
though I would rather see the honest hemp used to hang some of the
knaves."

The gale, which truly seemed to have effected its purpose in the
destruction of the miscreant rovers, now began to abate its fury, and
before dark we came up with the corvette, which had hove-to in order to
speak us. We found that she was His Britannic Majesty's sloop-of-war
_Syren_, of eighteen guns; and the captain directed us to lay by him
till the morning, when he would send on board to hear all the
particulars of what had occurred.

Meantime I had been sent to sit by Captain Stenning, to be ready to
attend to him when he awoke. When he did so, I called Captain Gale to
him. The account I then heard of his adventures was very short. We
had, indeed, guessed very nearly the truth. The _Dolphin_ had been
surprised by the pirates, and while he, with some of his crew, were in
vain attempting to defend her deck, he had been struck down. When he
returned to consciousness, he found himself on board the pirate, with
two or three others, of whom Lyal alone survived. The pirates had been
driven from their prey by the appearance of a large ship, which they
took to be a man-of-war; and in revenge, he concluded, they murdered all
who then remained on board. He and Lyal would have been killed also;
but their lives were saved by a Moor, whom he once saved at Gibraltar
from ill-treatment by some English seamen, with whom he had quarrelled.
Though the Moor had saved his life, he had not interest to do more for
him at that time.

When the pirates again fell in with the _Dolphin_, and were frightened
from attacking her by the trick Peter invented, thinking some evil
spirits possessed the vessel, they made all sail to return to port. He
confessed that he was himself very much astonished, and could in no way
account for what he had witnessed. Had he not received the explanation
we gave him, he should all his life have believed that the appearance he
had beheld was produced by supernatural agency.

When carried into port, he, with Lyal, was sold to the old Moor, as we
knew; but his friend had not forgotten him. The rover much wanted a
skilful navigator, and thinking that he would pre