They reached Samos safely, but one morning, her uncle and brother being ashore, two native boatmen came alongside, one of whom, in fair English, said the old gentleman had sent them “to fetch Mary, to show her some of the sights of the place.” Mary accordingly seated herself in their boat, but the men took her to another port, a league up the coast, and thus kidnapped her. As the days before sailing to the West grew fewer, Trefry became nearly mad with his pent-up feelings; but in the presence of Barbe Rouge had to dissemble and assume as calm a countenance and manner as he possibly could, although at heart he could have wished the old pirate hung at the end of his own gaff. Only two or three days intervened before the date of sailing, and his very appetite forsook him, and he could not help glaring at the skipper whenever they met; but Barbe Rouge, with an imperturbable countenance, took no notice of the mate’s despair, although he well knew what was passing in his heart; he saw the young fellow’s terrible struggle with himself, and gloated over it. Trefry dared not make an open show of concern about Mary, as even at the last moment there might arrive the opportunity for a rescue, so he held his peace till the morning of April 28th. As the first grey streak of dawn appeared in the N.E. Trefry stepped on deck and strained his eyes towards the stone house on shore. It was too dark to discern anything in the form of a signal, but he looked ever and anon, and to his great joy did not look in vain. He could scarce believe his eyes when he saw something appear out of and above a chimney on the old house. It was but a wisp of rag, but it was quite sufficient to denote its purpose as a signal, and Trefry knew its meaning to be an urgent appeal for succour. One or two of the crew also saw it, and it soon became known to the whole ship’s company that the girls were making signals for help; but, though comments were many, no one dared take any action, for the crew of _La Chauve-souris_ was, as often happens on privateers and suchlike vessels, divided into little coteries, each afraid of, or watching the actions of the others. Barbe Rouge had devotees numbering about twenty, while those whom Trefry could rely upon to take his view of anything on the tapis, he could count on the fingers of his two hands. Moreover only one day remained. What could he do? He thought over many schemes for liberating the girls, but could not hit upon one likely to be successful; so, finding his own imaginative faculties at fault, he called two or three of his more intimate cronies together, and placed the case before them in a council in the captain’s cabin, while one kept watch.