“Yes,” said Captain Ichabod, “I thought I’d come over and talk to you.  I don’t know you, bedad, but I know all about you, and I saw you and your family when you came to town to visit that old fox, bedad, that sugar-planter that Captain Blackbeard used to call Sir Nightcap.  Not a bad joke, either, bedad.  I have heard of a good many dirty, mean things that people in my line of business have done, but, bedad, I never did hear of any captain who was dirty and mean to his own family.  Fine people, too, who came out to do the right thing by him, after he had been cleaned out, bedad, by one of his ‘Brothers of the Coast.’  A rare sort of brother, bedad, don’t you say so?”

“You are right, sir,” said Mr. Delaplaine, “in what you say of the wild conduct of my brother-in-law Bonnet.  It pleases me, sir, to know that you condemn it.”

“Condemn!  I should say so, bedad,” answered Captain Ichabod; “and I came over here to say to you—­that is, just to mention, not knowing, of course, what you’d think about it, bedad—­that I’m goin’ to start on a cruise to-morrow.  That is, as soon as I can get in my water and some stores, bedad—­water anyway.  And if you and your ladies might happen to fancy it, bedad, I’d be glad to take you along.  I’ve heard that you’re in a bad case here, the captain of this brig being unable or quite unwilling to take you where you want to go.”

“But where are you going, sir?” in great surprise.

“Anywhere,” said Captain Ichabod, “anywhere you’d like to go.  I’m starting out on a cruise, and a cruise with me means anywhere.  And my opinion is, sir, that if you want to come up with that crack-brained sugar-planter, you’d better follow Blackbeard; and the best place to find him will be on the Carolina coast; that’s his favourite hunting-ground, bedad, and I expect the sugar-planter is with him by this time.”

“But will not that be dangerous, sir?” asked Mr. Delaplaine.

“Oh, no,” said the other.  “I know Blackbeard, and we have played many a game together.  You and your family need not have anything to do with it.  I’ll board the Revenge, and you may wager, bedad, that I’ll bring Sir Nightcap back to you by the ear.”

“But there’s another,” said Delaplaine; “there’s a young man belonging to my party—­”

“Oh, yes, I know,” said the other, “the young fellow Blackbeard took away with him.  Clapped a cocked hat on him, bedad!  That was a good joke!  I will bring him too.  One old man, one young man—­I’ll fetch ’em both.  Then I’ll take you all where you want to go to.  That is, as near as I can get to it, bedad.  Now, you tell your ladies about this, and I’ll have my sloop cleaned up a bit, and as soon as I can get my water on board I’m ready to hoist anchor.”

“But look you, sir,” exclaimed Mr. Delaplaine, “this is a very important matter, and cannot be decided so quickly.”

“Oh, don’t mention it, don’t mention it,” said Captain Ichabod; “just you tell your ladies all about it, and I’ll be ready to sail almost any time to-morrow.”