’Some of you take these two fools below, and confine them in separate apartments until I can attend to the hanging of them.’

Immediately upon the reception of this order, Ellen was dragged by the rough hands of two piratical officers into the brig’s cabin, where she was locked up in a small state room, whilst Arthur Huntington, was heavily ironed and confined in the steerage.  As the fair Ellen sat in her narrow prison, brooding in mute despair over the horrid scenes she had just passed through, she covered her face with her hands and faintly murmured,

‘If Arthur dies, I cannot survive him.’

CHAPTER V.

    Henry Huntington and Pat O’Leary, the Earl’s Servant, start
    upon An Exploring Expedition—­Its Strange and Sudden
    Termination at the Pirates’ Cavern.

With a love of adventure, which no sense of anticipated or real danger could restrain, glowing upon his mind, and beaming forth from his handsome eyes, did Henry Huntington, upon his first landing upon the island, declare to his companions that he intended to pass the day in exploring its beautiful though limited dimensions, and when hunting for curious sea-shells and other marine curiosities, wherewith to enrich a sort of miniature museum which he had commenced some years before in merry England.

‘Is that your real intention, Henry, or are you joking,’ asked the earl, as the young man finished speaking.

’I certainly intend, sir, to spend the time allotted to me here, in doing as I have said,’ replied Henry.

‘Then it is my opinion that you will have a tiresome time of it,’ said the earl.

’With all deference to your better judgment, my lord, I anticipate a far different result.’

‘Well, then, I wish you all prosperity in your adventurous undertaking,’ replied the earl, ‘but be careful to keep within sight of the ship.’

’I shall undoubtedly be very careful about that, sir, for although I own that I am an enthusiastic lover of romantic adventures, I do not by any means, aspire to the envious celebrity of being left alone, in all my glory, upon a desolate island.  But who amongst all the party is hardy enough to volunteer to go with me.  Will you, Arthur?’

‘Why, what a selfish fellow you have got to be, Henry,’ said Mary Hamilton, ’to start on a wild goose chase yourself, and then ask the only other young gentleman of the party to accompany you.’

‘That would be ungallant, without dispute,’ chimed in ‘sweet’ Ellen Armstrong.

‘Upon a second thought, I am compelled to believe it would,’ replied Henry.  ’But to settle the matter, by Lord Armstrong’s leave, I will take his servant Patrick with me.’

‘Do you hear that, Patrick,’ asked the earl?

‘Indade, sir, and I do,’ replied Mr. Patrick O’Leary, with the true Hibernian accent.  ’And its to the end of the world that I would follow swate master Henry, intirely.’