and crew, but nine were living; four passengers and five of the crew. Theodosia was the tenth survivor. By command of the pirate leader, friend and foe, crew and passengers and pirates who had fallen in the fray, were unceremoniously thrown over the ship's side into the water, after their money, valuables, and the best of their clothing had been appropriated by the pirates. Then the survivors of the "Patriot " "Patriot" were bound, their hands being tied behind them with strong cords. The leader of the party came towards Theodosia with a savage leer upon his face. He grasped her rudely by her hands, pulled them behind her back, and tied them so tightly that the cords cut into her tender flesh. Then he looked into her face with a sardonic smile, but she faced him bravely. The prisoners were taken into one of the boats and were rowed to the pirate ship. The victors left on the "Patriot" ransacked the vessel fore and aft. The captain's cabin was gone through and all the letters and everything of value that it contained taken. The cargo was of no particular use to the captors. They could not go into port and dispose of rice and cotton and tobacco, so Jules Drebat, the leader of the attacking party, gave orders to scuttle the ship. This was soon done and, while the boats were returning to the pirate ship, the unfortunate craft filled with water and finally plunged beneath the waves to join the innumerable caravan of ships that had preceded it. CHAPTER XXXII TH CAPTAIN THADDEUS HE ten prisoners from the "Patriot," one by one, reached the deck of the pirate ship, Theodosia being the last. They filed before the captain, who stood upon the quarter-deck, with white faces and downcast heads, all but one; Theodosia did not droop. She was the last of the line and, as it stopped, she was brought into close proximity to the pirate chief; turning, she looked him full in the face, and a remarkable face it was. He was a tall man, fully six feet in height and built in proportion; a mass of curly hair of a reddish-brown color covered his head; upon his upper lip, a flowing moustache of the same hue, while his full beard was trimmed to a point, giving him the appearance of a cavalier of the olden time. His face was pallid; his eyes were black, with a fire in them that seemed to scintillate; and, as Theodosia looked at them, they brought back memories of another pair of eyes as penetrating and bright but which had never looked upon her except with the love light in them. Captain Thaddeus spoke, addressing himself to the passenger who stood at the end of the line, farthest from him. "What is your name?" he asked. He spoke in English. "I speak English," he continued, "because I suppose you have been so busy making money by cheating your neighbors that you never had time to learn French." "James Gregory," answered the man. "Who are you?" continued the captain. "Tell me all about yourself." "I am a planter," answered Gregory. "I live in the interior of South Carolina and I was going North to buy supplies for my plantation." "Do you own slaves?" asked the captain. "Yes," answered Gregory. "I own a hundred." "Well, you would willingly change places with one of your slaves just now, wouldn't you?" laughed the captain. Drebat, I commit this South Carolina planter to your tender mercies." 66 Theodosia stood transfixed; she could utter no word; she could only look and take in the horrible scene that followed. Drebat and two of the pirate crew grasped the unfortunate planter; his money and valuables were taken from him and then he was relieved of some of the best of his clothing. A handkerchief, taken from one of his pockets, was tightly tied about his eyes; two pirates seized him, each taking a hand, and walked him rapidly away from his fellows to the side of the ship. Theodosia could not resist looking in the direction they had taken. What was that projecting from the side of the ship? It was a wide plank. When this was reached, the unfortunate man was lifted upon it, bodily, by the pirates and told, with a laugh, to walk right ahead; when he naturally held back, they struck him with their swords. As he reached the end of the plank and felt himself falling, he uttered a loud cry. For an instant, Theodosia felt as though she could endure it no longer, but she remembered her father's injunctions to bravery and fortitude and she determined that she would not give way, especially before the eyes of that man by whose side she stood. Following the scream, there was a splash in the water, and James Gregory, planter, of South Carolina, |