T HE council of the buccaneers had lasted some
time, when one of them re-entered the house,
and with a repetition of the same salute, which
had in my eyes an ironical air, begged for a moment's
loan of the torch. Silver briefly agreed, and this
emissary retired again, leaving us together in the
dark.

"There's a breeze coming, Jim," said Silver, who
had by this time adopted quite a friendly and famil-
iar tone.

I turned to the loop-hole nearest me and looked
out. The embers of the great fire had so far burned
themselves out, and now glowed so low and duskily,
that I understood why these conspirators desired a
torch. About halfway down the slope to the stock-
ade they were collected in a group; one held the light;
another was on his knees in their midst, and I saw
the blade of an open knife shine in his hand with
varying colors, in the moon and torchlight. The rest
were all somewhat stooping, as though watching the
maneuvers of this last. I could just make out that
he had a book as well as a knife in his hand; and was
wondering how anything so incongruous had come

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