THE PIRATES OF SEGNA. 409 



the dungeon, and rescued the half-strangled Provedi- 

 tore from the grasp of his fierce antagonist. 



" Do him no hurt ! " exclaimed Marcello, so soon 

 as he was able to speak, seeing that the guards were 

 disposed to handle the Uzcoque somewhat roughly ; 

 " the secret I have won is well worth the risk. The 

 prisoner is Dansowich, woivode of Segna." 



The fetters which the pirate had snapped with such 

 facility, were, upon examination, found to be filed 

 more than half through. The instrument by which 

 this had been effected was sought for and discovered, 

 and the prisoner, having been doubly manacled, was 

 again left to the solitude of his cell. After directing 

 all imaginable vigilance to be used for the safe custody 

 of so important a captive, the Proveditore re-entered 

 his gondola and was conveyed back to his palace. 



CHAPTER VII. 



THE PIRATES. 



The desperate attempt on the life of the Provedi- 

 tore, and the evidence given by him as to the identity 

 of the prisoner, had the result that may be supposed, 

 and the old Uzcoque was put to the torture. But the 

 ingenuity of Venetian tormentors was vainly exhausted 

 upon him ; the most unheard-of sufferings failed to 

 extort a syllable of confession from his lips. At last, 



