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“Pshaw! That’s not the way to say it. You just listen to me.”

Then he raised his hands to his mouth like a trumpet and called,–

“Ho, there, you landlubber, will you ship with us?”

The Toyman touched his hat.

“Thankee kindly, Cap’n, but I’ve killed many a pirate in my time. Now it’s your chance. But it’s blowin’ great guns an’ ye’d better cruise near shore.”

“Ay, ay, sir,” shouted the captain as a last farewell, then they set sail. They made quite a voyage of it and had some trouble, for the waves were rough and the seas were high, but they reached port safely at last.

They hadn’t seen anything of the pirates yet, and they decided to make another try for it when Hepzebiah came to the wharf. She wanted to sail too, but the Captain only said, very thoughtfully,–

“It’s not safe for the women an’ children.”

However, she cried so hard that they just had to let her on board.

“But if you come, you’ll have to be my slave,” the Captain told her.

Perhaps that is the reason why he let her sail at all. He wanted a slave very much and since Marmaduke wouldn’t be one and was Dick Deadeye anyway, why, the little girl would have to do. Still she didn’t care what she was called as long as she could sail on that fine ship.

So they sailed and they sailed, the white flag with the skull and the dead men’s bones floating merrily in the breeze. And at last Dick Deadeye called,–

“Cracky! Look where we are! You’d better go back. Remember what the Toyman told us.”

But Captain Jehosophat Kidd knew better.

“Pshaw! It isn’t deep at all. It wouldn’t drown a rat–not even a little mouse.”

Then there was trouble.

They heard shouts along the shore, and, looking back, saw Fatty Hamm, Reddy Toms, and Sammy Soapstone, jumping around like wild Indians. They looked again–sharply this time–and saw that it wasn’t boys after all, but pirates, wicked, cruel, bloodthirsty pirates! And that was bad enough!

“They’re trying to capture us,” shouted brave Captain Kidd, then, forgetting that his ship was a full-rigged ship and went by sail, he called,

“Row, brothers, row,
The stream runs fast.”

You see, he remembered that from a poetry book he had read once and thought it would just suit.

And all the time the crew of the “Jolly Roger” looked angrily back at shore.

“Splash!”

A big stone fell near them. No, it wasn’t a stone. It was a–cannon ball! The pirates on shore were trying to knock holes in their ship!

“You’re awful shots,” the Captain jeered fearlessly. “We’re coming ashore to capture your cannon.” He was very brave through all these trying times–and so were the crew. And they just turned their ship around and headed straight for the shore, though the cannon balls fell all around them.

But now a more terrible danger threatened. For the rascals on shore had seized long poles and were reaching out over the water, trying to smash holes in the ship, to stove in its hull.

“They’re grapplin’ irons and marlin spikes,” explained the Captain, “and very terrible weapons.” He must have been right, for he knew the ways of the sea.

Meantime the ship was beginning to rock. The crew looked around for rescue, but none was in sight.

“We’ll sink your ole ship,” shouted Pirate Fatty. “You’re awful sailors.”

And all the time, up and down, and down and up, went the poor little ship. Would they drown? Far off, Dick Deadeye saw the Toyman running, running as fast as he could towards shore. And Rover, too. He was barking for all he was worth, seeming to think it fun. But Rover was only a dog, and couldn’t realize the danger at all.

At last the big fat pirate’s pole hit the ship a terrible crack, and overboard Slave Hepzebiah fell.

Dick Deadeye reached for her, but his hand only touched her uniform, and over he fell, too, down in the coffee-colored waves.