A low, faint moan, here escaped from the lips of the wounded girl, which caused Elvira, thus to address the pirate: 

’Say no more at present, Herbert, I entreat you, but leave the cabin, whilst I endeavor to restore this young creature to consciousness.’

‘You asserted just now, that this girl was my only sister,’ replied Blackbeard, ’and before I depart I must have an explanation of your words.’

‘For the love of Heaven, Herbert,’ said Elvira, ’leave me alone with this maiden for the present, and to-morrow I will explain everything.’

‘Upon that consideration, I will go,’ avowed the pirate, ’and after which you will carefully examine her wound, and if it is likely to prove fatal, beware how you lose any time in making me aware of the fact.’

So saying, and without awaiting Elvira’s reply, Blackbeard immediately left the cabin.

‘Lower away the boat there,’ thundered forth the pirate, as he gained the brig’s quarter deck.  A score or two men promptly executed this order, the boat was soon manned; Blackbeard assumed his station in the stern sheets, and was soon pulled along side of the Gladiator, whose deck he quickly reached, where he earnestly inquired of the officer in charge, for Captain Rowland.

‘He went ashore, sir,’ replied the man to whom he had applied, ’about one hour ago, and left orders for you to follow him at your earliest convenience.’

Upon hearing this, Blackbeard without stopping to reply, hastily re-entered his boat, and ordered his coxswain to steer directly for the shore, which he soon reached, and having landed, made the best of his way to the palace, where we will for the present leave him, whilst we look further after the fortunes of our heroine.

No sooner had the pirate, taken his departure from the cabin, than the strange female hastened to the assistance of the wounded girl, whom she supported in her arms, and then conducted her into a small but neatly furnished state-room, which was Elvira’s own apartment, where she had partly overheard the altercation which took place, as before related, between Blackbeard and Ellen, and from which she had noiselessly and unperceived entered the main cabin just after our unfortunate heroine had fallen to the floor.  Here Elvira gently laid her fair charge upon her own soft couch, and proceeded immediately to examine her wound, which, although it had bled copiously, was but slight, then, after carefully dressing it, this strange woman, by the aid of appropriate restoratives soon succeeded in restoring ‘sweet’ Ellen Armstrong once more to consciousness.

As a confused sense of her situation began to dawn upon her mind, our heroine, after casting a wild glance around the state-room, addressed Elvira as follows: 

’Good woman, for the love of Heaven, tell me where I am, and into whose hands I have fallen?’

’You are at present on board of a piratical vessel called the Fury, and in the hands of a merciless and cruel set of black-hearted villains.’