Look, my lad, what the devils--the savage devils--have done with our poor Scotch brothers!" "Yes, I see," I whispered; "they must have killed them all." "But I mean this--there, I mean." I looked at him wonderingly as he pointed to the floor, for I did not understand.
The next moment, though, I grasped his meaning, and saw plainly enough what must have happened, for from where we stood to the open stern windows there were long parallel streaks, and I knew that, though they were partially trampled out by naked feet, as if they had been passed over dozens of times since, the savage wretches must have dragged their victims to the stern windows and thrust them out; any doubt thereon being cleared away by the state of the lockers and the sills of the lights.
Just then a peculiar hissing sound came to my ears, and I faced round quickly, as did Mr Brooke, for I felt startled.
For there behind me was one of our men--a fine handsome Yorkshire lad of three or four and twenty--standing glaring and showing his set teeth, and his eyes with the white slightly visible round the iris.

His left fist was firmly clenched, and in his right was his bare cutlass, with the blade quivering in his strong hand.
"Put up your cutlass, my lad," said Mr Brooke sternly; and the man started and thrust it back.

"Wait a bit--but I don't know how I am to ask you to give quarter to the fiends who did all this.

No wonder the place is so silent, Herrick," he added bitterly.

"Come away." He led us out, but not before we had seen that the cabins had been completely stripped.
We did not stay much longer, but our time was long enough to show us that everything of value had been taken, and nothing left in the way of log or papers to tell how the barque had fallen in with the wretches.
The crew had probably been surprised, and after a desperate resistance, when driven back into the cabin, fought to the last with the results we had seen.
"But surely they must have killed or wounded some of the pirates ?" I said.
"Possibly," replied Mr Brooke; "but there has been rain since; perhaps a heavy sea, too, has washed over the deck and swept away all traces here.