; and the man who didn't
was the man who has attracted your attention to-night. So far as we
could tell, only himself and three of the Greeks were saved. They
jumped aboard unarmed, and Jack, or 'Curly' as he was called, shouted
out to me and the captain who he was. We were dumbfounded. He hastily
told us how he had managed to bring about the disastrous results to the
pirates, and asked the captain to put the Greeks, or whatever they
were, into a boat and set them adrift. This was promptly agreed to, but
before the painter was let go one of the sailors asked permission to
shoot the beggars before they left, to prevent them killing somebody
else. But our captain only laughed and ordered them from alongside.
After cordially shaking hands with the captain and all the crew, Jack
requested to be allowed to assist in clearing away the wreckage caused
by the collision, and fixing the spare jib-boom, for that was the only
spar carried away. Jack told us the pirates thought they had a soft
thing on, as we seemed so undecided what to do, and that we could not
have adopted a better move than we did. 'There is nothing frightens
them like panic, and I played up to it as near as I could; but, by
thunder! I played a high game. I stood to be shot by either you or my
Christian friends,' said Jack; 'and upon my soul I feel that I have
played them a dirty trick.' 'Not a bit of it,' said I. 'You have done
your country, and especially us, a great service by helping to rid the
world of a few murderous thieves and cunning assassins.'

"'Oh, damn it!' interjected Jack, 'I cannot allow you to call us such
villanous names as that. My late friends considered their trade quite
as honourable as yours. They knew that they were breaking the law by
carrying on a game of what is called pillage or brigandage at sea; but
then they thought the law was all wrong, and that it was unlawful to
enforce such restrictions, or put any penalty on freedom of action.
And, by Jove! their arguments were almost convincing; especially when
we had to fight for what we wanted, and got wounded.'

"'I see that you have got scars on your cheek and hands. Were they
received by encounter with some ship's crew?'

"'Yes,' said Jack, 'but not my own countrymen. It was a deadly fight.'
And then he became pensive. I could see his mind was working, but he
refused to be drawn into further conversation; and from that day to
this I have not been able to get anything more out of him o