What have you known of me that could lead you to believe I would pay you for breaking open my doors, ransacking my house, and ill-using my servants? Perhaps you thought to force me to do your will by those weapons which I see you have in your hands-but depend upon it, it as difficult to intimidate the Marquis of Rougemont as it was Captain Anderson of the Vulture! I have faced death before to-day, gentlemen. I acknowledge that at this instant I am quite in your power, and I know you are base and dastardly enough even to attack a defenceless man. But you will not see me flinch! Fire all of you! I will give you nothing by compulsion!—nothing I say! You all hear me-by heaven you shall extort nothing from me! Here is my breast-fire!-worthless and ungrateful villains! fire on the man who beggared himself, and forfeited name and peace, to serve you!"

His dauntless and commanding bearing staggered the crew, who looked at one another as if dubious of their own resolves.

"We don't want to do you the least injury at all,” said the present captain, in a conciliatory way; " only it's no use your turning rusty about it; here we are, and it isn't to be expected that we should go away without some satisfaction. Come, we'll meet you half way-there are something about fifty of us-give us ten Louis-d'ors each and we'll go back to the ship directly."

"Not so much as a dollar!" repeated the Pirate very positively. Not a coin in gold or silver, by heaven! Had you come to me in a proper way I would have made you a present of not a mean value with the ut

most willingness of heart-but I will not be threatened into any thing!"

"Then all hands shall stay here till you alter your mind, Marquis, that's all," said the other, sitting down with a dogged air. "So you may do as you like. And here's another thing it behoves me to speak of since you are so wonderful obstinate. At the time our vessel was lying-to off Toronto harbour two or three years back, when your son first came on board, we made him clap his name down in our books as a sworn buccaneer; well now, if you don't let us have the money we want, and its no great deal to make a fuss about, one of us shall 'peach, and then good bye both to your Marquisship and him. So do as you like-do as you like. Here's your health-this is prime liquor-Teneriffe, I think it was ticketed in the cellar."

The coolness of the speaker was proportionate to the importance of his declaration. The Pirate was indeed taken at an advantage; he gazed at the other with a changing countenance. To be obliged to succumb now was insupportable. His pride, which constituted so large a portion of his character, revolted from the necessity. But at all hazards, he felt that he must preserve his son from public disgrace and ruin.

"Brien," he began in an altered voice, then stopped, and drew a deep breath, "Brien, let these men go from the house-I will settle the point with you alone, when I have consulted my son."

"No! no! no! That wont do for us!" returned the captain. "Now or never! If you will tell down on this table ten Louis-d'ors of sound gold to every jolly buccaneer here, myself excepted, who of course shall

expect double allowance, we will all clear off in a brace of minutes. Throw open that right-hand window, Antony!" to a sailor who was standing by it, and who forthwith removed the shutters; " up with the sash too! Now, Marquis, bring out your cash, and every man, as you give him his present, shall take a short cut through that window."

"But what security shall I have that you will not again impose on me in this way?"

"You shall have every sailor's oath on a Testament," was the reply," not to come a-nigh here on a business like this again for three years at the least."

"And after three years?"

"Some of us may be gibbeted, or lying at the bottom of one of the lakes; but howsoever, after that you'll most likely be called upon for another little bounty if we should be hard up for money."

"Thank you-I thought as much."

"But for three years out and out, after next midsummer, you shall not be troubled.”

Well, gentlemen, I think, as you are numerous, and I am to expect another demand from you at the end of three years, I think, I say, that ten dollars each instead of ten Louis-d'ors, ought to satisfy you. At all hazards I will give no more.'

"Say twenty dollars," said Brien; "we want to be reasonable."

"Aye, twenty! twenty!" echoed the rest.

"Once for all-I will give no more than ten," said the Pirate.

Brien went down the room talking with some of the principals of the party, while the Pirate stood waiting

their answer. The future annoyance, and trouble, and danger, to which he and Clinton, would, after this concession of his, be doubly exposed, rose vividly before him. He half repented that he had not stood firm in his denial, and braved the worst they could do. After this successful attempt to force money from him, doubtless their extortions would grow bolder. Both he and his son would be constantly subject to their importunities and their threats. He had no faith in their oaths, he did not believe that even for three years they would allow him a respite. Again he breathed heavily, and clenched his large hand on the table, while his eye roamed from one coarse set of features to another.

"As we want to be friends with you, Marquis," said the present Pirate-leader, returning up the apartment, "and as we have made a little too free with your house and the good things in it, we will be content with fifteen dollars apiece-that wont hurt you."

"I have said ten," said the Pirate, steadily, "I will give no more!"

Again there was a conference among the principal privateers, which grew more noisy than the last. However, they presently agreed to accept ten dollars each for the subordinates, and as much more for the others as they could get. The Pirate then went from the room a few minutes to furnish himself with the money. While he was absent, the body of the mariner was brought in, a ghastly spectacle, and Gilpin and the Pole gave to the excited party contradictory statements of the manner of his death. The leader interfered to stop the Babellike confusion which was momently swelling higher and higher.

"let's

"All this we can settle on board," said he; get the Marquis' money now while he is in the mind.” "Yes, yes, to be sure!-the money! the money!" exclaimed most of the men.

The corpse was then put through the window upon the grass, which was almost on a level with the salon. The Pirate returned.

"Brien," said he, "I hope you will remember what you have said."

"You shall see, Marquis," he cried. "Now, my jolly buccaneers! stand in a row like children saying their catechism, and as you get the silver in your hand vanish through the window."

Aye to be sure!" cried the drunk and the sober, all, except the gluttonous sleeper on the carpet, who slept as soundly as Abou Hassan of the "Arabian Nights," and was almost as much astonished at awaking as that caliph of a day, to find ten dollars courting his needy grasp.

"Get up!" cried the stout dwarf, giving him a kick. He sat up, and saw the magnificent apartment nearly emptied of its robber-visitants. The powerful light of the chandeliers, intense as it was, appeared but dull in comparison with the rich rays which the sun cast through the now unobscured windows. He rose to his feet with lumpish heaviness, yawning, and only kindled into any thing like animation by the sight of the ten dollars which his leader was holding out to him.

"You are to swear that you will not come here again asking for money from the Marquis for three years after next midsummer," said the latter.

"I swear it," said the fellow, pouncing upon the