Nadara shook her head, and Waldo Emerson hastened to recount her adventures since Stark's attack upon her on the deck of the _Priscilla_. Mrs. Smith-Jones approached the girl. She placed a hand upon her shoulder. "I have been doing a great deal of thinking since last I saw you," she said, "and the result of it is that I am going to do something that I have never before done in my life--I am going to ask your pardon; I treated you shamefully. I do not need to ask if my son loves you--you have already told me that you love him--and his eyes have told me where his heart lies. "For long nights I lay awake thinking of the horror of it, and almost praying that he might be dead rather than come back to find you waiting for him in Boston--that was before you went overboard. You had no birth or family, and that to me meant everything; but since I thought that you were both dead I discovered that I recalled many things about you that were infinitely to be preferred over birth and breeding. "I cannot tell you just what they are--only I cannot blame my son for loving you. Only you must discard that horrible garment for something presentable." "Mother!" shouted Waldo Emerson, as he threw his arms about her. "I knew that you would love her, too, if you ever knew her." Just then the door opened and one of the pirates entered. "Come," he said. They filed out past him. From those outside they learned that it had been decided to kill them all and after looting the _Priscilla_, sink her, as a man-of-war had been sighted cruising off the coast early in the morning. In their terror they had decided to wait no longer for the absent chief, and all thoughts of ransom were forgotten in the mad desire to erase every vestige of their piracy. The victims looked at one another in horror. They were entirely surrounded by the pirates, and one by one were securely bound that there might be no chance of any escaping. The plan was to lead them inland to the densest part of the jungle and there to cut their throats and leave their corpses to the vultures. The pirates appeared to derive much pleasure in recounting their plan to the prisoners. At last all were bound and the death march commenced. The last of the long line of hope forsaken prisoners and brutal, gibing cut-throats had disappeared in the jungle when a rude craft made its way into the harbor. At sight of the _Priscilla_ it hesitated and prepared to fly, but seeing no sign of life aboard it, approached, and finding the decks deserted, mounted. In the cabins the newcomers discovered two Malays asleep. These they awoke with much laughter and rude jests.