ll no response; but from the next cabin there now issued a man's
voice, inquiring--

"Do I hear some one out there proclaiming himself _a friend_?"

"Yes," answered I. "I _am_ a friend; and my present object is to
communicate to you some intelligence that I hope may prove agreeable and
comforting. I am quite alone and unarmed, and you may therefore open
your cabin-door without fear."

"Sir," replied the voice, "I know not who you are, or how you come to be
on board this most ill-starred ship. Your voice, however, has a
reassuring tone in it, and I would risk opening my door to you if I
could; but I cannot, for--like all the rest of the passengers, I
believe--I am bound and absolutely helpless, and I think that, if you
will take the trouble to try, you will find that we are all locked in.
Pray, who are you, sir? and how did you find your way on board the
_Bangalore_? Are the pirates gone yet?"

"No," said I, as I tried the door and found that it was indeed locked.
"I regret to say that they are not, and therefore I am for the present
obliged to leave you in your uncomfortable situation. But take comfort,
and believe me that it shall not be for one moment longer than I can
help; the pirates are unlikely to very much prolong their stay now, and
as soon as they are at a safe distance I will come again and release you
all--provided, of course, that my plans do not go amiss. My name is
Dugdale, and I am a naval officer--a midshipman--who has been
unfortunate enough to fall into the hands of the pirates in an
unsuccessful attack upon them more than a month ago, and this is the
first opportunity that I have had to attempt my escape. I must go again
now, as my discovery on board here by the pirates would mean utter ruin
to us all; but I will return as soon as I can with prudence.
Meanwhile," slightly raising my voice so that all might hear, "take
comfort, and hope for the best."

"Good-bye! Heaven bless and prosper you!" fervently ejaculated the
unknown, as I moved away from the door; and I thought I heard faint
murmurs of a similar import from some of the other cabins, but could not
be certain, as one of the outer doors giving direct access to the
main-deck suddenly opened, and I had to make a dash of it for the dark
vestibule in order to reach the concealment of the still darker
companion-way to avoid detection. My alarm was groundless, however; for
the newcomer proved to be Joe Maxwell, the carpenter, whom I saw