"Sinsibly! Why, what d'ye call this? Ar'n't I tellin' ye that it's been too much for me wid Black Mazzard shut up in his cage and the purty widow free to do as she plases; and sure and she plases me, sor, and I'm a fallen man." "You'll help me?" "Yis, sor, if ye'll go down on your bended knees and take an oath." "Oath! What oath?" "Niver to bethray or take part in annything agen Commodore Junk, the thruest, bravest boy that iver stepped." "You are right, Dinny. He is a brave man, and I swear that I will not betray or attack him, come what may. Get me my liberty and the liberty of my men, and I'll be content. Stop! I cannot go so far as that; there are my men. I swear that I will not attack your captain without giving him due notice, that he may escape; but this nest of hornets must be burned out, and my men freed." "Ah, well, we won't haggle about thrifles, sor. Swear this, sor:--Ye'll behave to the captain like a gintleman." "I'll swear I will." "Bedad, then, I'm wid ye; and there's one more favour I'll be asking ye, sor." "What is it!" "Whin we get safe home ye'll come and give Misthress Greenheys away." "Yes, yes, Dinny. And now, tell me, what will you do?" "Sure an' there's no betther way than I said before. I'll have an oi on a boat, and see that there's some wather and bishkits and a gun in her; and thin, sor, I'll set light to the magazine, for it'll be a rale plisure to blow up that owld gintleman as is always leering and grinning at me as much as to say, `Och, Dinny, ye divil, I know all about the widdy, and first time ye go to see her I'll tell Black Mazzard, and then, 'ware, hawk!'" "But when shall you do this?" "First toime it seems aisy, sor." "In the night?" "Av coorse, sor." "And how shall I know?" "Hark at that, now! Faix, ar'n't I telling ye, sor, that I'll blow up the magazine! Sure an' ye don't pay so much attention to it when ye go to shleep that ye won't hear that?" "Of course I shall hear it," said Humphrey, excitedly. "Thin, that's the signal, sor; and when it goes fizz, lie riddy and wait till I kim to ye, and thin good bye to the rover's loife, and Black Mazzard will see the darlin' no more. Whisht!" CHAPTER THIRTY TWO. THE EXPLOSION. A fortnight passed, during which the buccaneer visited his prisoner twice, as if to give him an opportunity to speak, but each time in company with Bart. Both were very quiet and stern, and but few words were said. Everything was done to make the prisoner's condition more endurable, but the attentions now were irksome; and though Humphrey Armstrong lay listening for footsteps with the greatest anxiety, those which came down the corridor were not those he wished to hear. At last, in the continuous absence of Dinny, he began to dread that the last conversation had been heard, and after fighting down the desire for a fortnight, he determined to risk exciting suspicion and ask Bart what had become of the Irishman.