“You mean the new men, who came in with Tryon?” “Yes.” “Well, Rodney, as I cast my eyes down into the hold I caught sight of two or three boxes, iron-bound, bearing the name and marks we sometimes see on boxes of merchandise brought over by American vessels. What are they doing in the Staghound’s hold? What are they? Will you tell me?” The old man was terribly perplexed. His two hard, brown hands were clasped on his knees, and his head was bent. “Donald, can’t you look me in the face, as of old?” Upon that the poor man broke down. He could contain himself no longer. “No, Percy! I can’t!” “Poor old Donald! What is it? How much have you--suffered them to lead you into doing?” “Percy! I swear to you--I swear, on my Bible oath, that I’ve never lifted a hand to help in any of their mean, dirty work! The most I’ve done has been to let others do it, and wink at it. And yet, if we’d been taken to day by the king’s ship I should have been strung up with the rest of ’em! I tell you truly, dear boy, I never thought how dreadful it would be till it was all over. “Oh! when we were honest smugglers, only bringing over the goods honestly bought in France, or Holland, or Germany, payin’ hard gold for everything we took, and simply runnin’ it in without stoppin’ to ask the king’s permission, and sellin’ it to them as would buy--why, then, my boy, I could look an honest man in the face anywhere. Then, Percy, some o’ the first men in the land were our friends. Bless ye, boy, your father had friends everywhere. There was scarcely a lord or a lady anywhere along the coast that didn’t bid him welcome. Ah! it’s different now.” “In short, Donald, the Staghound has become a pirate?” “Ye-e-es! You’ve hit it. I won’t try to deny it.” “And Ralph Tryon is responsible for it?” “Take care, Percy! Don’t ask too much about him!” “You can answer that. Is not he the chief power in this business? Was it not through his influence that the wicked trade was entered upon?” “Through his and the rest of the gang.” “But he was the chief?” “Yes, I s’pose he was.” “Now, Donald, how far has this thing gone? Have you taken human life?” “For the love of heaven!” groaned the suffering old man, with his clasped hands extended, “don’t ask me any more. Let the one thing I’m goin’ to tell ye of my own free will satisfy ye. And, mind this, ye’ll keep what I now say a secret. Will ye promise that?” The youth promised, and the other went on, speaking in low, whispered tones, and ever and anon casting a quick, furtive glance around. “There’s two-and-twenty of us--all the old crew but eight--have sworn to one another by a solemn oath that we’ll leave the brig after this. There’s a good deal of property aboard--honestly got--that belongs to us, and we want it; but, as soon as we get the business squared, we will clear out. And, really, I doubt if we are wanted. At all events, I aint. They don’t trust me.”