The girl stood for a moment in deep thought, when her ready wit suggested a way to accomplish this feat, sufficiently simple to avoid suspicion. Seizing the broad palmetto hat of the pirate, and bidding Julia to be in readiness to profit by the moment of darkness which would ensue, she returned to the deck, and approaching the pirate, exclaimed, "William, I have brought you your hat." At the moment of presenting it to him, as it passed the binnacle-light, she gave it a swift motion, which at once extinguished the flame. "Curses on the girl!" muttered the man at the helm. "O, I was careless, Diego; I will bring the lantern in a moment;" and laying down the hat on the companion-way beside the pirate, who paid no attention to the movements around him, she glided back to the cabin. "Here, lady," said she, "be quick--hand this lantern to the man at the helm, and then drop silently behind him while he is lighting it. I will immediately follow and take your place beside him. You understand me?" "Yes, clearly." "Well, as soon as I begin to speak with him, let yourself down into the boat by the painter, which I will soon cut apart, and then you will at least be out of the hands of your enemies." Julia took the hand of Florette in her own, and warmly thanked her, but the girl impatiently checked her. "Take this pistol with you also." "But why?" inquired Julia, with a woman's instinctive dread of such weapons. "O, I don't mean you should shoot any body, but if the boat drifts a little out of the brig's course, you might not be able to make yourself heard on her deck." "True, true." "The night is so still that a pistol-shot would be heard at a good distance." "O, yes, I see it all now; I was so anxious to escape from this terrible ship that I thought of nothing else; and there is poor John." "You must not think of him--it will be no worse for him if you go, no better if you remain. Here, take the lantern--say nothing as you hand it to the man at the tiller, but do as I told you." Pressing the hand of Florette, Julia mounted to the deck with a painfully beating heart, but with a firm step. She handed the lantern to the steersman, who received it surlily, growling some rough oath, half to himself, at her delay, and leaning upon the tiller, proceeded to relight the binnacle-lamp. Julia fell back cautiously, and in another moment the light form of Florette filled her place. "I was very careless, Diego," said she. "Yes," replied he, gruffly. "Well, I will be more careful next time." "You'd better."