'What an uncommonly heroic young gentleman you must be,' responded
Blackbeard, satirically, 'to attempt unarmed, and single-handed, the
rescue of a young girl from the midst of a hundred armed men. You must
certainly be either moon-struck or love-cracked.'

'And you must be a cold-blooded, heartless villain,' exclaimed Arthur,
irritated beyond endurance at the scorching irony of the pirate's tone.

'Those are words, young man, which only your life-blood can atone for,'
exclaimed the pirate, as he drew a pistol from his belt, and presented
it to the young man's breast. 'Die, upstart, die!'

'Rather let me die,' exclaimed sweet Ellen Armstrong, as, quicker than
thought, she sprang between the murderous weapon and Arthur's person.

The pirate fired, but the ball did not take effect, and was about to
present his second pistol, when he suddenly stopped, and thus addressed
a portion of his comrades, who had in meantime gathered round this
strange scene.

'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,