"Nay, not I," said Bart, shortly, as he too glanced at Dinny. "But I say, you do look rum." "Bart," whispered Mary, fiercely, and her eyes flashed with indignant anger, "is this a time to fool?" "Nay, my lass, nay," he said, becoming sober on the instant, "But you do look so rum. I say, though," he cried, sharply, "what's gone of all your beautiful long hair?" "Fire," said Mary, coldly. "Fire! what!--you've cut it off and burnt it?" Mary nodded. "Oh!" ejaculated Bart, and it sounded a groan. "Could girl with long hair have worked her passage out here as a sailor-boy, and have come into that cane-brake and saved you two?" said Mary, sharply; and as Bart sat staring at her with dilated eyes once more, she bent down after gazing at Dinny, still soundly sleeping, and laid her hand with a firm grip on her brother's shoulder. He started into wakefulness on the instant, and gazed without recognition in the face leaning over him. "Don't you know me, Abel?" said Mary, sadly. "You, Mary?--dressed like this!" He started up angrily, his face flushing as hers had flushed, and his look darkened into a scowl. "What else could I do?" she said, repeating her defence as she had pleaded to Bart. Then, as if her spirit rebelled against his anger, her eyes flashed with indignation, and she exclaimed hoarsely, "Well, I have saved you, and if you have done with me--there is the sea!" "But you--dressed as a boy!" said Abel. "Hush! Do you want that man to know?" whispered Mary, hoarsely. "My brother was unjustly punished and sent out here to die in prison, while I, a helpless girl, might have starved at home, or been hunted down by that devil who called himself a man? What could I do?" "But you worked your passage out here as a sailor?" whispered Abel. "Ay, and she could do it, too--as good a sailor as ever took in sail; and, Mary, lass, I asks your pardon for laughing; and if I wasn't such a big ugly chap, I could lie down there and cry." He held out his great coarse hand, in which Mary placed hers to return his honest clasp, and her eyes smiled for a moment into his, while Abel sat frowning and biting his lips as he glanced at Dinny. "I don't know what to do," he said, hesitatingly. "It seems--" "Heigh--ho--ho! Oh, dear me!" cried Dinny, opening his eyes suddenly, making Mary start and Abel mutter a curse. There was only one of the two equal to the emergency, and that was Bart, who gave his knee a sounding slap and cried aloud-- "Jack Dell, my lad, you've behaved like a trump, and got us away splendid. I on'y wish, Abel, I had such a brother. Hallo, soger, where shall we set you ashore?" "Set me ashore?" said the Irishman, nodding at Mary; "what for?" "What for?" cried Bart. "To go back." "I'm not going back," said the Irishman, laughing. "Sure, I want a change." "Change!" cried Abel. "You can't go with us." "Sure, and you forced me to come, and ye wouldn't behave so dirthily as to send me back?"