"Several of our people have been out fishing among the islands, and have neither seen nor heard of this redoubted pirate." "That is possible enough, boy; but I have seen him, nevertheless, and I shall be much surprised if you do not see and hear more of him than you desire before many days are out.

That villain does not sail the seas for pastime, you may depend on it." As Gascoyne said this, the outer door of the house was burst violently open, and the loud voice of a boy was heard in the porch or short passage that intervened between it and the principal apartment of the cottage shouting wildly--"Ho! hallo! hurrah! I says Widow Stuart! Henry! here's a business--sich fun! only think, the pirate's turned up at last, and murdered half the niggers in--" There was an abrupt stoppage both of the voice and the muscular action of this juvenile tornado as he threw open the door with a crash, and, instead of the widow or her son, met the gaze of so many strangers.

The boy stood for a few seconds on the threshold, with his curly brown hair disheveled, and his dark eyes staring in surprise, first at one, then at another of the party, until at length they alighted on John Bumpus.

The mouth which up to that moment had formed a round O of astonishment, relaxed into a broad grin, and, with sudden energy, exclaimed: "_What_ a grampus!" Having uttered this complimentary remark, the urchin was about to retreat, when Henry made a sudden dart at him, and caught him by the collar.
"Where got you the news, Will Corrie ?" said Henry giving the boy a squeeze with his strong hand.
"Oh, please, be merciful, Henry, and I'll tell you all about it.

But, pray, don't give me over to that grampus," cried the lad, pretending to whimper.