Justin hurried down to the beach where the boat was waiting, called the men to follow him and took them to the mountain grotto, where his provisions were stored; set them to work at its removal, and then went back to the house. He found the rebel captain all ready to go in the parlor. “You will remain here a few minutes while I go to Captain Yetsom and prepare him to see you. Remember that he has not even heard of your presence here yet.” “And my sudden appearance might kill him with joy! Is that it? Well, go and break the news gently, Mr. Rosenthal,” laughed the rebel, sarcastically. Justin went into the parlor. “Back already!” exclaimed the jolly captain of the _Xyphias_. “Yes, and I have some news to tell you!” “News! what, on this place? It must be that Columbus has discovered America, or the Dutch taken Holland.” “No; but it is that we have taken the captain of the _Sea Scourge_!” “Lord bless my soul and body! man, are you mad?” “No, nor dreaming. We have taken the captain of the _Sea Scourge_!” “Taken the captain of the _Sea Scourge_? We know that he was reported cruising about in these latitudes, lying in wait for East Indiamen; but we have seen nothing of him; there was no _Sea Scourge_ nor any other ship in sight when we anchored here, or when we came ashore.” “And yet we have the notorious sea rover.” “Spear?” “Yes, Spear.” “Bosh, man, you are jesting with us! You mean that you have him in his photograph, or something.” “No; I mean that I have him in person.” “Then there must be some other play upon the words. Have Spear personally present on this remote Indian isle! You might as well boast that you have Davis here!—as you may have in his ambrotype, just as you have Spear.” “I assure you that the captain of the _Sea Scourge_ is on this island, in this house, and waiting to surrender himself to you!” “For Heaven’s sake, explain yourself! Read me the answer to this riddle before my head goes!” said Captain Yetsom, while his officers listened with the same sort of curiosity they might have felt in an ingenious enigma, or as if the case had been put to them in conundrum style, as: “Why have we the captain of the _Sea Scourge_ here?” and they were trying to guess the answer, or expecting one from the propounder of the question that should set the room in a roar. “I will explain,” said Justin, and turning to Lieutenant Ethel, he continued: “You may remember, lieutenant, I told you yesterday, in reply to an observation of yours, that the _Xyphias_ had not been the only ship which had passed here, in the two years and a half we have spent on this island—that there had been another ship?” “Yes, I remember.” “That other ship was the _Sea Scourge_, driven out of her course by a furious gale. She came into our cove sailing under the rebel flag, which greatly perplexed us, as we had never seen or heard of it.” “Yes? Well?” exclaimed the captain and several of the officers, listening eagerly.