"Yes, I thought so, captain, but I expected to meet another schooner which is very like to yours, and is also in the trade. I made my signal to her, as, when she has any thing to get rid of, why I take it off her hands. Perhaps you may have something of the kind which is not exactly safe to show,--church-plate and the like. I pay ready money--that's my plan." As it afterwards appeared, Madam, this scoundrel had been in the free trade, or pirating, himself for many years, but he had taken an opportunity of walking off with a large sum of money belonging to the pirate crew, and with this money he had purchased his property in Virginia and the brig which he now commanded. Although he did not follow up the free trade any more, he had made arrangements with a pirate captain whom he met at Port Royal to meet them at the back of the island and receive such articles as the pirate might want to turn into cash, by which he, of course, took care to secure large profits. This he had done several times, and as he sold his cargo at Port Royal for dollars, he had always cash to pay for what the pirate wished to get rid of. But he had now run into the lion's jaws, for not only were I and the Portuguese on board to denounce him as a robber, but, what was still more unfortunate for him, three of the pirate's crew, whom he had swindled out of their property, were also on board of us, and recognized him immediately. As Captain Toplift knew how I had been treated by him, he thought it was time he should be confronted with me, and to his question as to whether there was any thing to dispose of, he replied to him, "You must put that question to the captain. There he is." The fellow turned to me; he looked at me, stared, and was mute, when his cub of a boy cried out, "As sure as a gun it's he, father, and no mistake." "Oh, you imp of Satan, you know me, do you?" replied I. "Yes, it is he. Send all the men aft." The men came fast enough. They were only waiting till I had spoken to them to come and give information against him. "Now, my lads," said I, "this is a scoundrel who fell in with some of us when we were in distress, after we had lost our vessel. Instead of behaving as one seaman does to another, he robbed us of all we had, and turned us adrift naked to be killed by the Indians. Of all, I and the two Portuguese you took on board about four months back are the only three left: the others perished. The one who was with me was burnt to death by the Indians, and I narrowly escaped. I leave you to decide what this scoundrel merits." "But there is more against him, captain," said the men, and then four of them stepped out and declared that he had run away with the money belonging to the crew of which they were a part, and that the sum he had stolen amounted to 25,000 dollars. "What have you to say for yourself?" said I to him. "That I have been a cursed fool to be caught as I have been." "What will they do, father?" "Hang us, I suppose," replied he.