“If the worst comes to the worst, Master Pathfinder,” said he, “we must strike, and that will entitle us to receive quarter.  We owe it to our manhood to hold out a reasonable time, and to ourselves to haul down the ensign in season to make saving conditions.  I wished Master Muir to do the same thing when we were captured by these chaps you call vagabonds —­ and rightly are they named, for viler vagabonds do not walk the earth —­ "

“You’ve found out their characters?” interrupted Pathfinder, who was always as ready to chime in with abuse of the Mingos as with the praises of his friends.  “Now, had you fallen into the hands of the Delawares, you would have learned the difference.”

“Well, to me they seem much of a muchness; blackguards fore and aft, always excepting our friend the Serpent, who is a gentleman for an Indian.  But, when these savages made the assault on us, killing Corporal M’Nab and his men as if they had been so many rabbits, Lieutenant Muir and myself took refuge in one of the holes of this here island, of which there are so many among the rocks, and there we remained stowed away like two leaguers in a ship’s hold, until we gave out for want of grub.  A man may say that grub is the foundation of human nature.  I desired the Quartermaster to make terms, for we could have defended ourselves for an hour or two in the place, bad as it was; but he declined, on the ground that the knaves wouldn’t keep faith if any of them were hurt, and so there was no use in asking them to.  I consented to strike, on two principles; one, that we might be said to have struck already, for running below is generally thought to be giving up the ship; and the other, that we had an enemy in our stomachs that was more formidable in his attacks than the enemy on deck.  Hunger is a d——­ble circumstance, as any man who has lived on it eight-and-forty hours will acknowledge.”

“Uncle,” said Mabel in a mournful voice and with an expostulatory manner, “my poor father is sadly, sadly hurt!”

“True, Magnet, true; I will sit by him, and do my best at consolation.  Are the bars well fastened, girl? for on such an occasion the mind should be tranquil and undisturbed.”

“We are safe, I believe, from all but this heavy blow of Providence.”

“Well, then, Magnet, do you go up to the floor above and try to compose yourself, while Pathfinder runs aloft and takes a look-out from the cross-trees.  Your father may wish to say something to me in private, and it may be well to leave us alone.  These are solemn scenes, and inexperienced people, like myself, do not always wish what they say to be overheard.”

Although the idea of her uncle’s affording religious consolation by the side of a death-bed certainly never obtruded itself on the imagination of Mabel, she thought there might be a propriety in the request with which she was unacquainted, and she complied accordingly.  Pathfinder had already ascended to the roof to make his survey, and the brothers-in-law were left alone.  Cap took a seat by the side of the Sergeant, and bethought him seriously of the grave duty he had before him.  A silence of several minutes succeeded, during which brief space the mariner was digesting the substance of his intended discourse.