hours you would be in the hands of the natives, and lashed to
the torture-stake! And would not your death then be just as much my act
as though I were to shoot you through the head this moment?"

And to my astonishment--and somewhat to my consternation, I must admit--
he whipped a pistol out of his belt and levelled it full at my head,
cocking it with his thumb as he did so.

"I presume it would," I answered steadily; "and on the whole I believe
that to shoot me would be the more merciful act of the two. So fire by
all means, senor, if you _must_ take my life."

"By the living God, but you carry the thing off bravely, young
cockerel!" he exclaimed. "Do you _dare_ me to fire?"

"Yes," I exclaimed stoutly. "I dare you to fire, if you can bring
yourself to perpetrate so rank an act of cowardice!"

"Well," he returned, laughing, as he lowered the pistol, uncocked it,
and replaced it in his belt; "you are right. I cannot; at least not in
cold blood. I dare say I am pretty bad, according to your opinion, but
my worst enemy cannot accuse me of cowardice. And, as to putting you
ashore, I shall do nothing of the kind; on the contrary, widely as our
opinions at present diverge upon the subject of my calling, I hope yet
to induce you to join me. You can be useful to me," he added, in pure
English, to my intense astonishment; "I want just such a cool, daring
young fellow as yourself for my right hand, to be a pair of extra eyes
and ears and hands to me, and to take command in my absence. I can make
it well worth your while, so think it over; I do not want an answer
now."

"But I _must_ answer now," I returned, also in English; "I cannot allow
a single minute to elapse without assuring you, Don Fernando, that you
altogether mistake my character if you suppose me capable of any
participation whatever in a traffic that I abhor and detest beyond all
power of expression; a traffic that inflicts untold anguish upon
thousands, and, not infrequently, I should imagine, entails such a
fearful waste of human life as I witnessed yesterday. Moreover, it has
just occurred to me that when we attacked you and your friends in the
creek this brigantine was flying a _black_ flag. If that means anything
it means, I presume, that you are a pirate as well as a slaver?"

"Precisely," he assented. "I am both. Some day, when we know each
other better, I will tell you my story, and, unlikely as you may now
think it, I undertake to say th