The name of every man was then asked and put down, and it so happened that I was the last; for, anxious to see my brother, I had walked up the foremost, and they had commenced their interrogation at the other end of the line. "What is your name?" "I do not belong to the schooner," replied I. "Of course not: you dropped on board her from the clouds." "No, Sir, I did not; I swam on board of her to save my life." "Then you went out of the frying-pan into the fire, I reckon, my good fellow, for your life is forfeited now." "I rather think not, Sir," replied I. "On the contrary, I feel it is quite safe." "Give us none of your jaw, my good fellow, but give us your name." "Certainly, Sir, if you require it. My name is Alexander Musgrave, Sir," replied I; "I am the elder brother of your captain, Philip Musgrave, and I will thank you to go into his cabin and inform him that I am here." The first-lieutenant and officers started back in astonishment, and so did Captain Toplift and the pirates. The first-lieutenant hardly knew whether to consider it as a pretence on my part or not, and was undecided how to act, when Captain Toplift said, "I do not know whether the gentleman is as he says, but this is certain, and all the men can prove it as well as myself, that he did swim on board, as he said, to escape from the Indians, and that he has never joined the crew. They offered to make him captain in my stead, and he positively refused it." "Yes," said all the pirates; "that's true enough." "Well, Sir," replied the first-lieutenant, "I will certainly carry your message." "To make all certain," replied I, "I will write my name on a slip of paper for you to take in to the captain. He knows my signature." I did so, and the first-lieutenant took the paper, and went into the cabin. In a minute he returned, and requested me to follow him. I did so, and in another minute I was in the arms of my brother. For some time we neither of us could speak. At last Philip said, "That you are alive and well let me thank Heaven. I have considered you as dead, and so have others; and to find you on board of a pirate--on board of a vessel which I have been riddling with shot, any one of which might have caused your death! Thank God I was ignorant that you were on board, or I never could have done my duty. I will not ask how you came on board of this vessel, for that must be the end of your narrative, which I must have from the time that you first left Rio, and afterwards in detail the whole from the time that you left the Coast." "Then they received my letters from Rio?" "Yes, after imagining you were dead, they were rejoiced by those letters; but I will not anticipate my story, nor will I now ask for yours; it is sufficient at present that you are alive, my dear Alexander, and once more in my arms." "Let me ask one question," replied I.