ROBERT (faintly)
I think my head is broke. I was struck into a swoon, Lydia, and knew naught till I found them lashing me beneath this bench. I can see a little. That lantern doesn’t look like one of ours. I thought they’d brought me to our captain’s cabin, but that lantern——
LYDIA (interrupting him, faintly and with horror)
No, no! Robert, don’t you know where we are?
ROBERT
It hasn’t the feel of our own ship.
LYDIA
No; we’re in the other, Robert!
ROBERT (feebly)
We are?
LYDIA (weeping)
They dragged me across the rail and threw me here. This is the pirate ship, Robert.
ROBERT
Then may Providence have mercy on our souls!
LYDIA (still weeping)
I saw them lay hold of my father—he tried to struggle——
(She sobs.)
ROBERT
Struggle? What could it boot? (He groans.) What booted anything? From our very sighting the strange sail we were done. No breeze for us in a flat sea—and he, with his great crew at oars, overhauling us; he came upon us like a shark to the body of a dead porpoise!
LYDIA
Hark! They’re quiet now on the deck above us.