with a
cry of: "Here's two more for the fishes," rushed toward them with
uplifted ax.

But Black Michael was even quicker, so that the fellow went down with a
bullet in his back before he had taken a half dozen steps.

With a loud roar, Black Michael attracted the attention of the others,
and, pointing to Lord and Lady Greystoke, cried:

"These here are my friends, and they are to be left alone. D'ye
understand?

"I'm captain of this ship now, an' what I says goes," he added, turning
to Clayton. "Just keep to yourselves, and nobody'll harm ye," and he
looked threateningly on his fellows.

The Claytons heeded Black Michael's instructions so well that they saw
but little of the crew and knew nothing of the plans the men were
making.

Occasionally they heard faint echoes of brawls and quarreling among the
mutineers, and on two occasions the vicious bark of firearms rang out
on the still air. But Black Michael was a fit leader for this band of
cutthroats, and, withal held them in fair subjection to his rule.

On the fifth day following the murder of the ship's officers, land was
sighted by the lookout. Whether island or mainland, Black Michael did
not know, but he announced to Clayton that if investigation showed that
the place was habitable he and Lady Greystoke were to be put ashore
with their belongings.

"You'll be all right there for a few months," he explained, "and by
that time we'll have been able to make an inhabited coast somewhere and
scatter a bit. Then I'll see that yer gover'ment's notified where you
be an' they'll soon send a man-o'war to fetch ye off.

"It would be a hard matter to land you in civilization without a lot o'
questions being asked, an' none o' us here has any very convincin'
answers up our sleeves."

Clayton remonstrated against the inhumanity of landing them upon an
unknown shore to be left to the mercies of savage beasts, and,
possibly, still more savage men.

But his words were of no avail, and only tended to anger Black Michael,
so he was forced to desist and make the best he could of a bad
situation.

About three o'clock in the afternoon they came about off a beautiful
wooded shore opposite the mouth of what appeared to be a land-locked
harbor.

Black Michael sent a small boat filled with men to sound the entrance
in an effort to determine if the Fuwalda could be safely worked through
the entrance.

In about an hour they returned and reported deep water through t