gravely shaking his
head; "you've been going it rather too fast, and brought on this
trouble all on account of this Greek girl."

"It's a lie," cried Jack, looking fiercely at the pasha; "she never was
stolen, and never did belong to that old coffee-coloured villain, and
what's more, never shall, if Britons can protect her. She fled of her
own accord from the palace of Moley Pasha, before he arrived, and
sought protection from me and my friends in the town."

"In that case," said the officer, "we cannot give her up, for the
British government does not recognise slavery, domestic or otherwise.
Under our flag she is free."

A cheer of defiance from the group of English sailors greeted this
speech.

"By the soul of the prophet," fiercely exclaimed the pasha, "am I to be
defied by a boy, and an infidel--a son of Sheitan, to boot?"

"Boy as I am, I defy you," retorted Jack.

This was a bold, but foolish and incautious speech, destined to be
disastrous.

The pasha, goaded to madness by Jack's words and defiant manner, drew
his pistol and discharged it pointblank at our hero.

The action was a rapid one--so rapid as to take Jack unawares, but not
so rapid as the love-quickened perceptions of Thyra.

She saw the pasha's movement, and throwing herself forward, seized Jack
just in time to draw him aside.

By so doing, she saved his life, but at the expense of her own.

The bullet lodged in her breast, and with a cry she fell wounded into
Jack's arms.

The disaster had come so quickly that our hero scarcely comprehended
what had happened.

The pasha frowned darkly when he saw Thyra fall.

Some remorse was awakened, even in his iron heart.

He had intended to take a life, but not hers, and now indeed the Pearl
of the Isles was lost to him for evermore.

"'Tis you now, pasha, who have committed crime," said the lieutenant,
"and for this I call you to account. Surrender to answer for this
deed."

"Surrender to Christian dogs! Never," answered the fierce Ibrahim.

"Then, men, fire upon these Turks," said the officer.

The rifles of the sailors were accordingly brought to cover upon the
pasha's force.

Ibrahim immediately recognised a fresh and imminent danger, and
resolved on a retreat.

Turning his horse, he gave the signal to his followers, and the whole
body marched off rapidly, pursued by the fire of the English.

During this parley, Kara-al-Zariel and his Arabs had taken advantage of
the preoccupati