non shot.

"How terribly some of the poor wretches have been starved!" muttered
Edgar as he bent over one of the captives, attempting to draw together
the edges of a sword-cut in his arm; "why, there is not enough of flesh
on him to cover his wound."

"There an't much, sir," assented Joe Baldwin, in a sympathetic tone, as
he stood close by holding the needle and thread in readiness. "There's
one man for'ard, sir, that I saw in passing to the chest for this
thread, that has scarcely as much flesh on him as would bait a rat-trap.
But he seems quite contented, poor fellow, at bein' freed from slavery,
and don't seem to mind much the want o' flesh and blood. Perhaps he
counts on gettin' these back again."

"Hm! These are not so easily regained when lost as you seem to imagine,
my friend," exclaimed a pompous but rather weak voice. Joe looked up.
It was Mr Hazlit, whose bloodless countenance and shrunken condition
had become more apparent than ever after he had been enabled to reclothe
himself in the garments of civilisation.

"Why, sir," said Joe, gently, "you seem to have bin badly shaken. Not
bin wounded, I hope, sir?"

"No,--at least not in body," replied the merchant, with a faint smile
and shake of the head; "but I've been sadly bruised and broken in
spirit."

Joe, remembering somewhat of Mr Hazlit's former state of spirit, had
almost congratulated him on the beneficial change before it occurred
that his meaning in doing so might have been misunderstood. He
therefore coughed slightly and said, "Ah--indeed!"

"Yes, indeed, my man," returned the merchant; "but I have reason to be
supremely thankful that I am here now in _any_ condition of mind and
body worthy of being recognised."

As the amateur surgeon here desired Joe to assist him in moving his
patient a little, Mr Hazlit turned away, in a stooping attitude because
of weakness, and, with his vest flapping against the place where his
chief development had once been, shuffled slowly towards the
quarter-deck.

It was at this time that the boat which captured Pungarin came
alongside, and there was a general movement of curiosity towards the
gangway as he was passed on board.

The hands of the pirate-chief were tied behind his back, but otherwise
he was free, the cords that had bound his legs having been cast loose.

A howl of execration burst from the captives when they saw him, and
several ran forward with the evident intention of spitting on him, bu