约翰·格林代尔爵士风景如画的老宅邸格林代尔的客厅里聚集了一大群人。那是九月初。士兵们打完枪回来了，客人们都聚集在客厅里。在黄昏宜人的半个小时里，灯还没有点起来，尽管天色已经太黑了，无法阅读。谈话内容很笼统，从印度传来的最新消息开始，话题就转向了意大利人对“奥奇奥”号的信仰。

“你相信吗，马利特船长？”伯莎问道，她是约翰爵士唯一的孩子，一个十六岁的女孩。她坐在一张安乐椅上，旁边坐着她说话的那个男人。

“我不知道，伯莎。”

他从小就认识她，而她还没有到正式的“格林代尔小姐”的年龄，她的熟人就应该承担起正式的“格林代尔小姐”的责任。

“我不相信意大利人的迷信程度。如果不是有一个人一直对我不走运，我想我根本不应该相信这一点。”

“马利特船长真不幸？”

“嗯，我不知道‘不幸’这个词是否恰当，但他一直挡在我和成功之间；至少，他总是这样做，因为我们已经好几年没有相遇了。”

“告诉我怎么回事儿。”

“好吧，我不反对，但没什么可说的。

“我和他一起上学——我不会提他的名字。我们年龄相仿。他是一个恶霸。我干扰了他，我们打了一架，我第一次也是唯一一次战胜了他。这是一场非常艰难的战斗——迄今为止我经历过的最艰难的战斗。我比他更强，但他更主动。我以为打败他并不难，却发现我犯了一个大错。这是一场漫长的战斗，只是因为我的状态更好，所以我最终取得了胜利。

“嗯，你知道，当男孩在学校打架时，大多数情况下他们会成为更好的朋友；但这里却并非如此。他拒绝与我握手，并嘀咕着下次该轮到他了。在那之前，他在任何事情上都还没有被认为是一流的。他是那种在学校里闲逛的人，只上足够的课，让自己能舒服地度过，从不在游戏中扮演任何重要角色，但有自己的一套，并且总体上与学校保持距离。

“有一两次，当我们打板球时，他表现得非常出色，以至于他不能定期参加比赛是一种不满，而且有一种普遍的想法，如果他选择，他可以把大多数事情做好。那场战斗之后，他彻底改变了。他非常热衷于板球运动，很快就被认为是学校最好的球棒和最好的投球手。在此之前，人们一直认为当队长离开时我应该当选，但当时间到来时他获得了多数票。我不应该介意这一点，因为我承认他是一个比我更好的球员，但我认为他做得并不公平，因为许多我认为肯定会支持我的人在最后一刻都转身了。

“我们在学校的表现是一样的。他一直处于垫底的位置。我在其中排名相当靠前，通常是第二或第三。他开始读书，并在比赛后的六周内赢得了班上的第一名，并一直保持在那里。不仅如此，他很快就表现出了自己远远优于我们其他人，以至于他获得了上面的表格。

“然后有一场拉丁诗歌比赛，对两种形式都开放。拉丁诗是我最擅长的一件事。你知道，将它们串在一起有一种诀窍。一个人可能总体上是个笨蛋，但拉丁诗词的创作却比在其他方面比他优越得多的人更好。人们认为我一定会得到这个。没有人打算与我对抗，但在最后一刻，他写下了自己的名字，令所有人惊讶的是，他以小跑的方式获胜。

“我们大约在同一时间离开，一起去了牛津，但去了不同的学院。我在我的大学八号赛中划船，他在他的赛艇中。在河上我们在他们上方，但他们每天晚上都会撞到我们，直到他们到达我们后面，然后撞到我们。他一帆风顺，大家都说他的成功归功于他的划船，我相信确实如此。我不太介意这一点，因为我的线路主要是双桨。我在自己的学院获胜，然后进入亨利队，在那里人们普遍认为我有很大的机会赢得钻石。然而，在报名截止前两周，我听说他每天早上都在河上划桨。我知道会发生什么，当他的名字出现在我的名字旁边时，我并不感到惊讶。

“我们被吸引到了一起，他在我前面跑了六马位，但奇怪的是他在最后的预赛中惨败。随后他抚摸了大学。尽管我受到了考验，但与普遍的预期相反，我什至没有进入八强，但我知道正是他的影响使我无法进入。

“我们又打了一场，我又败了。我参加了 Newdigate——那是英国诗歌奖，你知道。我一直喜欢把诗串在一起，在寄出诗之前给我看的朋友们都认为我有很好的机会。我自己也感到充满希望，因为我没有听说他正在考虑参加比赛，事实上，我也不记得他在学校时写过一行诗。然而，当宣布获胜者时，他的名字又出现了。

“我相信，正是因为我对他在所有事情上都比我优越感到厌恶，才促使我立即要求父亲给我一份佣金，因为在我看来，如果他是我的对手，我永远不会在任何事情上取得成功。从那时起，我们的生活就完全分开了，尽管我偶尔见过他。我们当然会说话，因为自从那次争吵以来，我们之间从未发生过任何争吵，但我知道他从未原谅我，而且我有一种不安的信念，总有一天我们会再次接触。

“我确信，如果我们再次见面，如果可能的话，他会给我带来不好的影响。我认为他在某种程度上是我的邪恶天才。我承认这是愚蠢和荒谬的，但我无法克服这种感觉。”

“哦，这太荒谬了，马利特船长，”女孩说。 “他可能在一些小事上打败了你，但你在克里米亚赢得了维多利亚十字勋章，每个人都知道你是这个国家最好的射手之一，在你离开之前，你总是在第一场飞行中与猎犬。”

“啊，你真是个热衷者，伯莎。我并不是说我不能在很多事情上与大多数人保持一致，这些事情不需要大脑，但蛮力和敏捷的眼睛是唯一的必要条件，但我非常确信，如果那个家伙曾经在雷丹，有一天，他会获得维多利亚十字勋章，而我不应该。他的勇气是毋庸置疑的，如果只是为了让我黯然失色，他就会采取一些出色的行动或其他可以为他带来好处的行动。他是一名比我更好的骑手，至少是一个更鲁莽的骑手，而且他的射击能力也更好。他聪明无比。”

“我简直不敢相信，马利特船长。”

“这是真的，伯莎，更重要的是，他是一个非常英俊的小伙子，一个一流的健谈者，只要他愿意，就能让自己非常受欢迎。”

“他一定是一个完美的克莱顿，马利特船长。”

“最糟糕的是，伯莎，虽然我为自己这么想而感到羞愧，但我始终无法摆脱他不公平竞争的想法。学校里发生了两三件奇怪的事情，人们总是怀疑他参与其中，尽管这从未得到证实。我一直坚信他使用婴儿床，并且他的地位部分归功于它们。我很嫉妒，相信他寄来的拉丁诗句是里格比为他写的，他是班长之一，对诗句很在行。里格比是他的好朋友，因为他是个卑鄙的家伙，而我的对手总是有很多钱，公平地说，他很慷慨。

“然后，就在我们离开学校之前，他获得了游泳奖。他是一个很好的游泳运动员，但我是一个更好的人。我一度以为自己一定能打败他，但比赛前一小时我感到可怕的抽筋，这是我以前或之后从未有过的事情，我几乎无法战斗。我当时想，从那以后我一直想，我一定在早餐时吃了一些与我非常不同意的东西，而他不知何故把它放进了我的茶里。

“然后再说说亨利双桨船的事情。我从来没有像那时那样感觉到我的船划得那么厉害。当它从水里捞出来时，发现底部有一个弯曲的铁箍，用钉子穿过薄薄的皮肤固定在底部。当它在架子上时，它肯定不在那里，但当我划回船库时，它就在那里，而且只有在船被放入水中时，它才能到达那里。有三四个人帮忙把她放下来——其中两个是我的朋友，另外两个是船库的雇员。当它躺在水里时，在我进去占据我的位置之前，任何弯腰在它上面的人都可能在不被察觉的情况下把手伸到它下面，把钉子推了进去。

“我从来没有说过任何关于这件事的事情。我被打了；对此进行争吵和丑闻是没有用的，特别是因为我没有任何针对任何人的证据。但我确信他没有我那么快，因为在练习期间，我的时间几乎与轻松击败他的人相同，而且我确信这一次我应该如果不是因为犯规，他就被打败了。”

“这太可耻了，马利特船长，”伯莎愤怒地说。 “我想知道你没有采取一些措施来揭露他。”

“我没有什么可做的，伯莎。这只是一个怀疑的案例，你不知道如果我说了这件事，将会发生多么可怕的争吵。委员会会对此进行审议，而这件事也会登上报纸。研究员们可能会站在一边，而我应该因为暗示一位著名的大学人犯有犯规行为而受到一方的谩骂。

“总而言之，这将是一个可怕的麻烦；最好保持安静，什么也不说。”

“我确信我不能这么做，船长。”

“不，但是你会发现女人比男人要浮躁得多。我确信，在你一旦开始行动之后，你会后悔自己没有等待时机，等待另一场比赛，在这场比赛中你可能会公平公正地扭转局面。”

“他一定很可恨。”女孩说道。

“我可以向你保证，他并不被认为是可恨的。他对我怀恨在心，煞费苦心地报复我，我只相信我们的道路不会再有交集。如果是这样，我毫不怀疑我将再次遭遇最坏的结果。无论如何，你看，我说虽然我不相信“奥奇奥”，但我有理由对它抱有一些迷信，这并不是没有道理的。”

“我预言，马利特船长，如果你将来遇到他，你就会扭转局面。从长远来看，这样的人永远不可能获胜。”

“好吧，我希望你的预言能够实现。无论如何，我会尝试一下，我希望你的良好愿望能够抵消他的力量，希望你能成为某种马斯科特。”

“真累啊！”女孩突然停住了，因为女士们之间有一阵动静。 “我们该去穿衣服去吃晚饭了，虽然我不会花他们中一些人一半的时间，但我想我必须走了。”

马利特船长六个月前在他父亲去世后继承了距离约翰·格林代尔爵士的庄园五英里的一处庄园。几个月前，他的哥哥在狩猎场被杀，而弗兰克·马利特热爱自己的职业，除了小儿子的一份之外，从未寻求过其他任何东西，因此获得了一笔非常好的遗产。

父亲去世两个月后，他极不情愿地递交了文件，因为他认为自己有责任在遗产上安定下来。但十天后，传来了巴拉克普尔塞波伊爆发的消息，他立即发电报陆军部，请求允许取消他的出卖许可申请。

到目前为止，云还很小，但麻烦的传闻已经流传了一段时间，这件事至少给了他推迟退休的借口。

这片小云很快就蔓延开来，直到遮盖了从加尔各答到阿富汗边境的印度。他所在的团在印度服役名单上排名靠后，但随着消息变得更糟，一个又一个的团被匆忙撤走，现在它已经非常接近名单的前列了。所有休假尚未停止，但外出的警官被命令留下地址，以便在一小时通知后被召集加入。

那天早上，当他离开家与约翰爵士一起进行一天的射击时，他吩咐给一匹马备好鞍，这样，如果有电报来，可以立即将其送到他那里。他迫不及待地想离开。起初，团里的人对他们不太可能参加这场激烈的斗争感到非常失望。但随着竞争的扩大，显然有必要尽最大的努力来拯救印度，他们的就业前景也越来越大，这种感觉已经变成了一种热切的期待。

过去两周，人们的期望一直达到顶峰。部队已经接到命令，做好登船的准备，士兵们已经从休假中召回，沉重的行李也已经收拾好；一切准备就绪，只要提前二十四小时通知即可开始。许多军官获得了几天的休假来告别朋友或解决业务问题，弗兰克·马利特就是其中之一。

“所以我想你随时都可以走，马利特？”那天晚上的饭桌上，主人说道。

“是的，约翰爵士，我今天的投篮非常糟糕；因为我知道，我的同伴随时可能会骑马过来，命令我立即返回，而我们都处于如此不耐烦的状态，以至于我很惊讶我竟然击落了一只鸟。”

“无论是围攻德里还是解救勒克瑙，你都很难指望能及时赶到，马利特。”

“有人会认为不会，但没有这样的说法。你看，我们的新闻已经一个月了；哈夫洛克被迫撤退到坎普尔，德里有一支完美的叛军军队。当然，援军很快就会到来，我想我们不太可能及时赶到那里分担那些事务；但即使我们去勒克瑙和德里都迟到了，我们还有很多事情要做。加上塞波伊军队和加入他们的当地酋长，还有奥德的战士等等，反对我们的武装人员不可能少于二十万人；即使我们确实占领了德里并解救了勒克瑙，那也仅仅是工作的开始。这些恶棍正在用缰绳进行战斗，我不担心我们会错过夺回印度和惩罚这些嗜血恶棍的工作。”

“这是一个可怕的时刻，”约翰爵士说。 “虽然我年纪大了，但我还是愿意伸出援手，为坎普尔发生的可怕事件以及其他地方发生的冷血屠杀报仇。”

“我认为不会缺少志愿者，约翰爵士。如果政府征召他们，我相信一周内可以招募 100,000 万人。”

“嗯，二十四小时内；在英格兰，几乎没有人愿意付出五年的生命来参与对那些不忠的怪物的惩罚。克里米亚战争不乏民族感情。但与这些大屠杀所激起的情绪相比，这根本算不了什么。如果这只是部队中的一次简单的叛变，我们都应该很乐意将此事交给我们的士兵处理。但这是每个人的个人问题；富人和穷人都同样被强烈的欲望所感动，想要参与复仇工作。我怀疑这个国家从其最早的历史开始是否曾如此激动过。”

“是的，我想我们都在羡慕你，马利特，”另一位绅士说道。 “与印度正在发生的事情相比，射杀鹧鸪是一件乏味的工作。对你来说很幸运，第一次叛变发生在当时，因为如果是在一周之后，你可能会在消息传来之前就被刊登在宪报上。”

“是的，这当然是一种运气，阿舍斯特。如果我离开了即将出发前往印度的军团，我不知道我会有什么感觉。”

“我想你可能会从普利茅斯出发，”约翰爵士说。

“我应该是这么想的，但是没有说法。我几乎不认为我们应该像某些团那样经过法国；不会节省太多时间，特别是如果我们从普利茅斯向西出发的话。此外，我还没有听说最近有任何运输工具被派往马赛。当然，无论如何我们都必须在亚历山大登陆，然后穿过沙漠到达苏伊士。我想，既然这条路线的优点已经显示出来，未来的军队将永远沿着这条路线走。你看，到印度只有五周而不是五个月。现在的情况已经够糟糕了，但如果在不到五个月的时间里英格兰没有增援部队的话，情况会更糟。”

“你不在的时候我能为你做点什么吗，马利特？”约翰·格林代尔爵士问道，当其他绅士离开去会合女士们之后，他们又逗留了一会儿。

“我不知道什么，谢谢。诺顿会发现一切都如常进行。我父亲从来不干涉他对庄园的总体管理，对他有着最大的信任。我从小就认识他，一直很喜欢他，所以我可以放心的离开，一切都会照常进行。如你所知，如果我去世了，遗产就会归我从未见过的远房表弟所有。

“至于其他事情，我没什么可安排的。我已立下遗嘱，这样我就不会在这方面受到任何困扰。今天早上特兰顿从斯特劳德带来了它，我签了名。”

“是的，小伙子；我们都真诚地希望它的规定不会得到执行，但人们最好不要再去想这些事情。今晚你要跟我们告别吗？”

“我这样做是为了以防万一，约翰爵士，但我预计当我收到传票时，我将有时间开车来这里。我的马将在五到二十分钟内跑完这段距离，除非夜间邮件经过斯特劳德后一小时内收到电报，否则我将能够做到这一点。在我离开之前，我看到所有的东西都已经收拾好了，我的人会看到，除了我在旅途中需要的东西的行李箱之外，所有的东西都会和团行李一起继续。”

一刻钟后，马利特船长登上他的狗车，开车回家。第二天早上，他收到副官的一封信，说他预计第二天某个时候会下达命令。

“我们要在普利茅斯登船，今天早上我收到一份电报，说运输船已经抵达，并已将她的煤炭运上船。当然，他们今天会在陆军部得到消息，并且可能会立即发电报。我想我们很可能会在第二天一早乘火车离开这里。当然，一旦命令到来，我会立即发电报，但我知道你已经准备好了一切，如果你乘夜间邮件来的话，你会有充足的时间。”

十一点钟，斯特劳德的骑马信使送来了电报：

“我们明天早上六点乘车。立即加入。”

这只是一个正式通知，他决定继续通过夜间邮件。他花了一天的时间开车绕着庄园转了一圈，并向他的房客们告别。他在一位主要农民的家里吃午餐，小时候他总是受到热烈的欢迎。在登上狗车之前，他站着和主人的漂亮女儿玛莎聊了几分钟。

“你没有看到你自己，玛莎，”他说。 “在我回来之前，你必须重新拾起你的玫瑰。那时我将离开军队，为我的佃户们准备一顿丰盛的晚餐，然后跳舞，然后我将与你一起开舞会，并期待你表现出最好的样子。

“这是谁？”他问道，这时一个年轻人从房子的拐角处走过来，一看到他们，就猛地转身走开了。

“是乔治·莱希米尔，不是吗？”

女孩的脸上闪过一丝色彩。

“啊，我明白了，”他笑道。 “他以为我在和你调情，然后开始嫉妒了。好吧，明天你就可以毫无困难地与他和好。

“再见，孩子，我该走了。我还有很长的一轮要打。”

他跳上狗车开走了，而女孩则悄悄地回到了屋里。

她父亲抬头看了看时钟。

“两点了，”他说。 “我必须得走了。我预计乔治·莱赫米尔会在这里。他来和我谈论他父亲的十二英亩草地。今年冬天我非常想要它，因为今年我犁过的土地比平时更多。我必须要么得到一些牧场，要么卖掉一些股票。”

“乔治·莱赫米尔来了，父亲，”玛莎愤怒地摇摇头，说道，“但是当他看到我在和马利特船长说话时，他转身就走了；就像除了他自己之外我不会向任何人开口一​​样。”

农夫本来想说话，但他的妻子却对他摇摇头。乔治·莱奇米尔曾与玛莎订婚，但他的嫉妒引起了许多争吵，以至于订婚被解除。然而，他仍然经常来这所房子，她的父母希望房子能重新装修。因为这个年轻人的品格很高。他是父亲的得力助手，自然会继承父亲的农场。他的父母也衷心赞同这桩婚事。然而，到目前为止，年轻人聚集在一起的前景并不乐观。玛莎有点喜欢调情。乔治一如既往地嫉妒，无法掩饰自己的感情，现在他无权批评她的行为，这让女孩很生气，她常常鼓励别人，只是为了表明她对他的意见漠不关心。

乔治·莱赫米尔确实是带着心中的愤怒离开了。他知道马利特上尉即将随团前往印度，但看到他与玛莎亲切地聊天，他心中激起了对她的强烈不满。

“不管是谁，”他自言自语道。 “她随时准备好与任何人相处，而当我打电话时，她几乎无法对我说礼貌的话。我知道，如果我们结婚的话，情况也会是一样的，而且我很愚蠢，竟然在这里停下来，让它让我烦恼。我最好立即摆脱它。约翰已经足够大了，可以接替我在农场的位置了。有时候我会拿走女王的先令。如果我离开一次，我就不会总是想着她。我知道我很傻，让一个女孩这么麻烦我，但我无能为力。如果我留在这里，我知道我会对她或其他人造成伤害。上个月，当她在卡修乡绅那儿做生意时，我就想这样做——他就像马利特船长一样，只是他是个坏房东，而我们的房东是个好房东。是什么让他想到询问自己所有的佃户，以及我们周围的许多人，并在草地上举办一场板球比赛和舞蹈，我无法一言以蔽之。自从他成为这里的主人以来，他从来没有做过这样的事。他们都注意到他如何与玛莎相处，以及她似乎很喜欢这样。这是在场每个人的议论。如果我没有走开，我就会出洋相，尽管我无权干涉她，而且她的父母都在那里，看起来丝毫没有被赶走。

“我要出去看看我前几天买的那群小牛。我不知道我见过比这更有可能的事情了。”

乔治回来时天已经黑了。在回家的路上，他走了一条路过那所房子附近的小路，几个小时前他曾愤怒地转身离开。这不是最近的路，但不知怎的，他总是走这条路，即使是在他没有机会看到玛莎的最远的几个小时。

不久他突然停了下来，因为他听到农场厨房花园的墙后有声音。一个男人正在说话。

“你必须立即做出选择，亲爱的，因为正如我告诉过你的，我明天就要离开。我们一到那里就会结婚，你知道你不能在这里停下来。”

“我知道我不能，”玛莎的声音回答道，“但我怎么能离开呢？”

“当你回来时，他们会原谅你，成为一位女士，”他说。 “至少要等一年我才能回来，而且——”

乔治再也无法克制自己了。他嘴里发出一声愤怒的惊呼，拼命想爬上墙，但墙太高了。当他尝试了两三遍不成功后，停了下来，花园里一片寂静。

“明天我会对付她，”他冷酷地说，“还有他。但我现在不敢进去。贝内特一直是我的好朋友，他的妻子也是如此，如果他们知道我所听到的事情，他们会丧命的。但至于她和那个恶棍——”

乔治坚定地闭上了嘴，在黑暗中漫步回家。无论他的决心是什么，他都没有机会付诸实施，因为第二天早上他听说玛莎·贝内特失踪了。如何或为什么，没有人知道。从前一天下午喝茶的时间起，她就失踪了。她什么也没带走，农夫和他的两个儿子正在整个社区寻找她的踪迹。

斯特劳德警方下午过来并展开调查。人们普遍认为她一定是被谋杀了，农场周围的每一个池塘都被拖走了，每一条沟渠都被检查了。与此同时，乔治·莱赫米尔保持​​沉默。

“最好，”他对自己说，“她的父母和朋友认为她死了，比知道真相要好。”

他很少和任何人说话，但顽强地做着自己的工作。他的父母知道他对玛莎的感情有多深，对他奇怪的举止并不感到惊讶，尽管他们奇怪他没有参与寻找她的行动。

他们也有自己的麻烦，因为尽管他们从来没有向对方透露过自己的想法，但他们内心深处却害怕乔治知道女孩失踪的事情。他强烈的嫉妒心一直是他们悲伤和烦恼的根源。在与玛莎订婚之前，他已经达到了他们所希望的一切。他是最好的儿子，最踏实的工人，而且由于他乐于助人、开朗、脾气好而受到普遍的喜爱。

小时候，他的嫉妒心一直是麻烦的根源。给他的弟弟们的任何礼物、任何小款待，如果他没有完全分享，都会引起他在其他任何时候都从未表现出的剧烈脾气爆发，而这种感觉一旦再次出现，就会再次表现出来。他挑选了玛莎作为他关注的对象。

那天晚上他回到家时，他们注意到他的态度很奇怪，回忆起过去，每个人都暗暗担心，他和玛莎之间发生了比平常更激烈的争吵，在他疯狂的激情中，他杀了她。

然后，在她失踪一个月后，他短暂地宣布了他打算离开农场并入伍的打算，这让他感到几乎如释重负。母亲一脸痛苦地看着丈夫，丈夫只是严肃地说：

“好吧，小伙子，你已经长大了，可以自己做选择了。最近你的情况发生了变化，也许你也应该做出改变。你是一个好儿子，我会非常想念你；但约翰正在追随你，很快他就会弥补你的损失。”

“我很遗憾要走了，父亲，但我觉得我不能留在这里。”

“如果你觉得最好走，乔治，我不会说任何阻碍你的话。”然后他的妻子确信她的丈夫也有同样的恐惧。

第二天早上，乔治穿着周日的衣服，拎着一个包袱下来。早餐时，两人几乎没有说话。结束后，他站起来说道：

“好吧，再见了，爸爸、妈妈，还有你们孩子们。我从来没有想过就这样离开你，但事情对我不利，我觉得我最好离开。

“约翰，我指望你来填补我的空缺。

“再见了，大家。”他默默地握了握手，拿起包裹和手杖就出去了，留下他的兄弟们，他们没有被告知他的意图，惊讶得说不出话来。

弗兰克·马利特拜访完所有房客后，开车前往约翰·格林代尔爵士的家。

“我们已经找到路线了，”他走进去时说道。 “我今晚就离开。今天早上我收到了副官的一张便条，说很快就到了，所以你看，我有时间过来舒舒服服地告别。”

“我认为告别从来都不会让人感到舒服，”格林代尔夫人说。 “一个人可能会比其他人更轻松地度过一些难关，但这就是他们中最好的人所能说的。”

“我称他们为可恨的人，”伯莎插嘴道。“马利特船长，真是可恨至极——尤其是当有人要出去打仗的时候。”

“我承认，他们并不令人愉快，”弗兰克·马利特表示同意。 “我应该尽可能轻松地说。我想也许那些离开的人比那些留下来的人感受更少。他们对自己的离开感到兴奋；他们有很多事情要思考、要做；他们当时几乎没有想到他们可能不会再回来，尽管如果受到质疑，他们会承认这种可能性，甚至是概率。

“不过，我想当我们到达那里时，最糟糕的战斗将会结束。如果德里被占领，勒克瑙得到解脱，那么情况几乎肯定会如此。塞波伊人认为比赛完全掌握在他们手中，他们几乎可以毫无抵抗地将我们扫出印度。他们失败了，当他们看到成功的机会一天比一天减少时，他们的抵抗力就会减弱。

“我预计我们将会有很多次长途行军，很多次小冲突，也许还有两三次硬仗；但我对任何一个逆转都没有一丝恐惧。我们正值一年中最好的季节外出，天气凉爽，运动量大，发烧的危险不大；因此，我很有可能平安归来。可能需要几年的时间才能消除这一切，但在那段时间结束时，我希望永远回到这里。

“格林代尔小姐，我会发现你的变化比你发现我的变化要大得多。你将成为一位端庄的年轻女士。我只会年纪大一点，肤色更黑一点。你看，我自从入伍以来就没有驻扎过印度，因为团才刚刚回国，我满怀欣喜地期待着见到它。炎热的军营里的日常生活肯定相当乏味，不过，据我所知，人们比你想象的更享受它。但在像现在这样的时刻，它将充满兴趣和兴奋。”

“我希望你有时会写信给我们，”当马利特起身离开时，约翰爵士说道。

“我不会保证经常写信，约翰爵士。我预计我们将大体上处于移动状态，也许没有任何类型的帐篷，坐在露营火旁跪着写作，周围有十几个人有说有笑，将是一项无望的任务；但如果任何时候我们停在一个可以写作的地方，我一定会这样做。我在英国的朋友很少——至少只有男人，他们从没想过会收到信。由于你是我最年长、最亲爱的朋友之一，我很高兴让你知道我的近况，并确保你会对我的所作所为感兴趣。”

热烈的告别，所有人都走到门口说了最后几句话。弗兰克的行李箱已经装在狗车里了，因为他已经安排从格林代尔直接开车到奇彭纳姆，在那里他会在一家酒店吃晚饭，然后继续邮寄到埃克塞特。

当他开车进入那里的军营时，已经是下午三点了。时间一早，部队就已经起床忙碌。马车正在装货，长长的一排窗户都亮着灯，每个房间里都可以看到人们在走动。他开车穿过军营院子，来到自己的住处，把手提包留在那儿，然后走到餐厅。正如他所料，他在那里发现了几名军官。

“啊，马利特，你来了。你是最后一个进来的；其他人都是乘晚班火车来的，但我们认为，因为你离得比较近，所以你会通过邮件来。”

“我想我应该找你们中的一些人来坚持下去。”

“嗯，没什么别的事可做。睡觉的机会不会太多。我们都在城里吃过饭，当然，餐盘和工具都已经收拾好了。我们现在带的东西不多，只够换班用的。其余的将被送往加尔各答，存放在那里直到我们安顿下来。男人们吃了镇上为他们准备的晚餐，直到十二点才出发，两点开始装车，整晚都在吵架。我们大多数人都打台球到一个小时前，然后我们逐渐休息一个小时的小睡。”

“希望有机会吃到早餐吧？”

“是的，五点一刻要吃一顿粗暴的早餐。我们在四分之一点到达。昨天我们通过了套件检查。食堂警长和一行人会收拾早餐的东西，锅碗瓢盆会在下一趟火车上送来。八点有一个。时间很充裕，因为我想交通工具要到下午才会停止，或许直到晚上才停止。总有最后一刻耽搁的时候。

“然而，这将是船上的事情。这是打击那些黑恶棍的第一步。我们都担心去德里会迟到；还有很多其他工作要做。”

“有女士和我们一起吗？”

“不，已婚军官们普遍认为最好把他们留在后面。所以这一次该团没有女性了。”

“阿姆斯特朗，你的语气里有一种轻浮的感觉，我不赞成。”弗兰克·马利特责备地说。 “当我们去克里米亚时，那时你还是一个做拉丁练习的好小男孩。”

“嗯，总的来说，这是一件好事，马利特，没有他们我们会舒服得多。”

“为你自己说话，阿姆斯特朗。像你这个年纪的小伙子们除了军营俚语什么都不会说，当他们不得不和一位女士聊天五分钟时会感到非常不舒服，当他们摆脱了必须像理性人一样说话的束缚时自然会感到高兴；但对于年长和聪明的人来说却并非如此。马歇尔怎么样？”

“过去十天他一直在休假。他还没有回到这里。上周有两个人孜孜不倦地询问他。即使我们不知道他的情况，他们的任务是不会出错的。我希望他在交通工具上。我想上校暗示他要加入那里。毫无疑问，犹太人会在普利茅斯以及这里寻找他。但他会设法以某种方式偷偷上船，即使他必须装成一个老太婆。”

“他承受的所有麻烦都是他应得的，”弗兰克·马利特愤怒地说。 “我对一个年轻的傻瓜没有耐心，他在赛马上打赌，因为他很清楚，如果赛马输了，他除了去犹太人那里要钱之外别无他法。然而，他已经得到了深刻的教训，而且由于该团很可能在几年内不会回到英格兰，因此他将有机会再次改正。这件事对他来说是天赐之物，因为如果他留在英格兰，除了出卖之外，他别无选择。”

他们就这样聊着，直到食堂服务员把早餐摆好，其他军官才涌进来。饭菜吃得很匆忙，因为军营院子里集会的声音已经响起。早餐一吃完，军官们就出去，到连队就位。

进行了一次简短的视察，然后鼓声和横笛奏响了《我留下的女孩》，军团向车站行进，街道上已经挤满了起身来看望他们最后的人，祝愿他们在即将完成的死亡工作中一切顺利。

行李已经上了车站等他们的火车，几分钟后就开走了。士兵们远远地伸出每一扇窗户，向挤在站台上哭泣的妇女们挥手最后告别。两个小时后，他们到达普利茅斯，穿过城镇到达造船厂，然后直接登上了运输船。

一如既往的混乱，直到分配了舱位，把小行李箱收起来，并将一般行李放入货舱。接下来是三四个小时的乏味等待，没有人确切知道为什么，然后明轮开始转动。人们爆发出一阵欢呼声，几分钟后，他们经过了德雷克岛，顺着海峡前进。

正如所料，他们在船上发现了年轻的马歇尔。他一直在下面直到他们开始，尽管他被告知法警获准进入造船厂的可能性很小。由于他有幸对自己的处境感到彻底羞愧，所以很少有人对他说些什么。但高级军官们的态度足以让他感到他们强烈反对他因自己的愚蠢而处于的位置。

那天晚上，他对马利特上尉说：“我已庄严宣誓，不再赌博。”马利特上尉深受年轻军官的喜爱。 “我打算保留它。”

“年轻人，你欠多少钱？”

“四百五十。再加上津贴什么的，三四年应该就能还清了。”

“是的，如果你信守诺言，马歇尔，我们中的一些人可能会愿意帮助你。我会的。以前我也会这样做，但把钱给傻瓜比把钱扔进海里更糟糕。一旦你用行动而不是言语向我们表明你真正打算保持正直，你就会发现你并非没有朋友。”

“非常感谢你，马利特，但我不想得到帮助。如果我还活着，我会亲自清理掉它。”

“你会发现做到这一点很困难，马歇尔，即使在印度也是如此。当然，工资和津贴，即使是一个底层的人，靠自己的收入生活也很容易，但如果要积攒太多，那就是一件困难的事情了。不过，只要实际活动持续下去，所需的开支就会很小。我们主要靠口粮生活，你可以存一点。或许还有一定数额的奖金，因为虽然叛乱者本身什么也得不到，但一些加入叛变者的本土王子无疑要为自己的份额付出高昂的代价。”

“好吧，你不会放弃我的，是吗，马利特？”

“当然不是。我以前对你和任何人一样严厉，因为我对这种疯狂的愚蠢行为没有耐心，但如果你保持正直，没有人会更倾向于让你的事情变得容易。”

前往亚历山大的航行没有发生任何事件。训练有规律地进行，生活与军营里的生活没有太大区别。当旅程到达一半时，所有人都很高兴，但当他们在苏伊士运河登上另一艘船时更是如此。

根据前一天收到的消息，他们在这里了解到，到了八月底，德里仍然在顽强抵抗。尽管英军已经增援，但进入这座城市的人数却大大增加，并且不断对山脊上的英军阵地进行攻击。

因此，当 20 月 14 日，当一名飞行员在胡格利河口登船时，他们得知袭击是在 XNUMX 月 XNUMX 日发生的，因此兴奋程度达到了最高点；经过一周多的殊死战斗，这座城市被占领，傀儡皇帝被俘，叛军损失惨重，被赶过朱马河上的船桥。

尽管他们对来得太晚而未能分享胜利感到失望，但收到消息后的满意度却因袭击中遭受重大损失的消息而受到削弱。尤其是那位最英勇的士兵，尼科尔森将军。

他们参与勒克瑙救援行动的希望也没有实现，因为他们得知 25 月 XNUMX 日，哈夫洛克和欧南兰已经救援了该地。然而，在这里，他们仍然有可能参与激烈的战斗。由于救援纵队损失惨重，而叛乱者的力量又如此之大，按照计划夺走驻军是不可能的，救援部队现在自己也被包围了。然而，人们并不担心他们的安全。如果说原本人数不多的驻军抵挡住了叛变者的所有努力，那么没有人怀疑，现在他们的兵力增加了三倍，他们将成功地保卫自己，直到集结一支足够强大的军队来击退他们。

加尔各答没有耽误一天。现任最高指挥权的科林·坎贝尔将军爵士正在坎普尔集结部队。首都陷落后，一支纵队就从德里派出，还有一支强大的海军旅与他会合，该旅配备了来自战舰的重炮。

一切安排都已做好，援军一到，部队就从船舷行进到有小船队待命的地方。男人们只拿他们能搬动的东西；所有其他行李都将通过水路运送到他们之后，并在收到进一步指示之前存放在阿拉哈巴德。因此，部队一被装进船上，就被两艘轮船拖着，立刻就上了河。官兵们都兴高采烈地发现自己到达后这么短的时间就已经踏上了前往前线的道路，而他们是否能及时赶到加入部队仍存疑问，这让他们更加兴奋。专栏。尽管这些人挤在拥挤的船上，但没有任何杂音，日复一日，夜复一夜，他们继续沿河而上。

在巴特那，他们得知总司令仍在坎普尔，在阿拉哈巴德也得到了同样的好消息。但在后一个地方，他们得知他出发的消息每小时都会传来。

他们于11日早上到达坎普尔，得知纵队已于9日出发，但在本塔拉停留。一刻也没有耽误。每个人都从军粮仓库领取了六天的给养，登陆两小时后，该团开始行军，于深夜抵达本塔拉，受到聚集在那里的部队的热烈欢呼。

他们得知他们将于第二天早上继续前进。虽然疲惫不堪，但发现他们及时到达，该团兴高采烈，点燃了篝火并扎营。

“马利特，这确实是一场险胜，”当一群人围坐在火边时，其中一位船长说道。 “我们以短头获胜。”

“确实很短，阿克斯。这是一场从英格兰远道而来的比赛，我们能及时赶到参加勒克瑙的救援工作，真是太棒了。一天后，我们就应该错过了。”

“我们不应该这样做，马利特，因为这些人会整夜行军，如果有必要的话，明天还要行军一整天，才能赶上。尽管如此，我们毕竟能及时赶到，这仍然是一个美妙的侥幸。”

“毫无疑问，这将是一项艰难的业务，”一位专业人士表示。 “哈夫洛克发现了这一点，我希望他教给他们的教训还没有消失，我们将不得不面对比他更大的困难。”

“是的，但是看看我们的力量。十六门马炮，一个重型野战炮台，以及拥有八门火炮的海军旅；第九枪骑兵团、旁遮普骑兵团和霍德森骑兵团；四个英国步兵团和两个旁遮普军团，此外还有一支 9 人的纵队预计明天或后天会加入我们。

“无论如何，少校，我希望我们不要沿着哈夫洛克穿过狭窄街道的路线走，因为在那里我们无法使用我们的力量；但会设法从其他方向接近驻地。我们知道它靠近河流，位于城镇的边缘，所以应该有其他方法可以到达它。我认为，只要我们能找到公平的战斗场地，我们就可以与任何数量的恶棍相抗衡，而我们当然不应该在镇上的街道上这样做。”

另一位警官说：“我不在乎情况如何，所以我们一定能找到他们。” “当我们听到他们的暴行如此可怕的细节时，我们迫不及待地想要近距离接触他们。我想我们应该先去阿伦巴格，解救长期被关在那里的部队。我只希望我们不要被选来取代他们的位置。”

人们普遍对这个建议表示厌恶。

“好吧，你知道，必须有人留下来，”他继续说道，对那些攻击他的辱骂声表示不满。 “为什么我们的团和其他团不一样呢？”

“因为我不敢相信，在好运眷顾我们这么久之后，她现在竟然会跟我们玩这样的把戏，”弗兰克·马利特说。 “再说了，我们还没开一枪，其他团就已经做出了战斗的举动，我认为科林爵士更有可能选择第 75 团，或者事实上，选择任何其他团，而不是我们。尽管如此，即使最坏的情况发生，我们也不能抱怨。其他团已经度过了疲惫的等待时光，现在可能轮到我们了。你的建议对我们的精神来说是一种打击，而且，由于我不介意承认我对行军感到疲惫不堪，在过去的七八个星期没有使用我的腿之后，我将尝试通过以下方式忘记它：去睡觉了。”

他用自己的斗篷做了一个枕头，在原来坐的地方躺了下来，其他军官很快也效仿了他的做法。

第二天早上，部队一早就出发了，但他们到达阿伦巴格时并没有遇到抵抗，因为在经过右侧的一个小堡垒时，他们突然遭到了驻扎在堡垒周围的一小群叛军的袭击。

但浪费的时间并不多。距离他们最近的霍德森战马立即发起了一次出色的冲锋，将他们打散到四面八方。拆除堡垒时短暂停顿，然后纵队继续前行，没有进一步中断，前往阿伦巴格。

看到它的外观，有些失望。正如他们所期望的那样，他们并没有找到一座宫殿，而是一座被高墙包围的大花园，花园的一端有一座小清真寺。当奥德国王想要远离这座大城市的喧嚣和仪式时，这里显然是一个隐居之地。

总司令通过从一位名叫卡瓦纳的平民那里得到的信息，对这座城市的局势了如指掌。他冒着巨大的风险离开了官邸，并提供了所有主要建筑的平面图以及英格利斯准将认为最有利于进攻的路线。

傍晚，援军抵达，总兵力达到五千人。命令下达后，第 5,000 中队的军官们非常满意地发现，正如马利特上尉所认为的那样，第 75 中队被选中继续负责阿伦巴格的行李。

14日一早，这支部队出发了，但是，沿着哈夫洛克所走的直接道路行进了一小段距离后，向右出发，远离城市，袭击了夏宫。奥德国王，称为 Dilkoosha。它矗立在一个高处，可以俯瞰整个城镇的东郊，周围是一个大公园。

纵队的先头一接近这里，一阵猛烈的火枪射击就爆发了，很明显，他们的行动已经被监视，行军的目标也被猜中了。纵队的前部停顿了几分钟，直到增援部队赶来。然后他们排成一列，炮兵向他们的侧翼开火，部队在欢呼声中向前进攻。

“乞丐一点也不能开枪，”弗兰克·马利特对他的副官阿姆斯特朗说。 “我猜他们是印度兵，因为据说奥德部落的人都是神枪手。”

步兵们一边向城墙上的漏洞不断开火，一边向前推进。敌人的火力随着逼近而减弱，很快就强行闯入，有的帮助战友翻墙，有的则破门而入。然后继续前进。

长城的守军得到了驻扎在宫殿周围的部队的大力增援，但他们无法抵挡英国的进攻，很快就开始向城市撤退。偶尔会在有防御设施的墙或建筑物的地方停下来，但永远不会等待足够长的时间让英国人攻击它们。两个小时后，所有人都被驱车下山前往马蒂尼尔学院。他们再次在这里抵抗，但很快就被赶了出去，并被追赶穿过学院的花园和公园，然后穿过运河进入镇上的街道。追击到这里就停止了，第一个被告知要守住马蒂尼埃岛作为前沿阵地。科林爵士在迪尔库沙建立了他的指挥部，其余部队在它周围或在它和学院之间的山坡上露营。

看到士兵们都舒服了，并得到了一些食物后，大多数军官聚集在学院的平屋顶上，从那里可以看到城镇的美景。官邸已经被指给他们看了，可以看到上面飘着英国国旗。几座非常大的建筑，大部分被围墙花园包围，矗立在中间空间内的本土房屋的低矮屋顶之上。

“道路相当开放。很大一部分土地似乎都被花园占据了，而且大多数房屋都很小，无法容纳很多人。”

“我同意你的看法，马利特。显然，我们将经过一个开阔的郊区，而不是城镇本身。那些大建筑物如果被强行占领的话会给我们带来很多麻烦。它们是普通的堡垒。”

“我不认为它们是用石头建造的。他们似乎都被粉饰了。”

“确实如此，”少校一边通过望远镜观察它们，一边表示同意。 “我想这个街区很少有石头，但墙壁很可能是砖砌的，而且很厚。在我们携带它们之前，它们必须经常被破坏。

“一想到这面在过去五个月里一直在驻地飘扬的旗帜，无视绝大多数人的努力，就要降下来，而这些恶棍将能够因拥有他们竭尽全力夺取的地方。但人们仍然认为科恩爵士的决定是必要的。当其他几十个地方都有紧急工作要做时，把六七千人关在那里是绝对不行的。此外，它还需要大量的补给来维持它们。我们的军队，即使与驻军会合，也完全不足以完成这样一项艰巨的任务：征服一座至少有五十万居民、三四万名叛乱分子和奥德最优秀的士兵的城市。其优势是拥有一两座建筑物，所有这些建筑物都是积极的堡垒。”

“不，没有什么办法，只能再次撤退，直到我们有足够的力量占领整个城市，彻底击败它的守军。我们走了，这里就会成为叛乱的焦点。一半的德里逃犯会找到这里，至少我们能够一举消灭他们，而不必花几个月的时间在全国各地搜寻他们。这里聚集的人越多越好；然后，当我们占领这个地方时，叛乱就会结束，不过，当然，仍然会有追捕分散的团伙的工作。”

“我们明天可能会比今天更加努力地工作，”约翰逊上尉说。 “戴着这副眼镜，我可以看出这个地方挤满了男人。当然，今天我们让他们有些惊讶，因为他们自然会期望我们遵循哈夫洛克的路线。但既然他们知道了我们的真实意图，他们就能集中全部力量来反对我们了。”

“那就更好了，”弗兰克·马利特说。 “部队的感受是毫无疑问的。他们热衷于为康普尔报仇，对于落入他们手中的叛乱分子不会有任何怜悯。”

“我建议各位想写信回家的先生们，”上校严肃地说，“今晚就写信。毫无疑问，我们将占据这些位置，但我认为毫无疑问，我们的死亡卷将是沉重的。你不能根据他们今天的战斗来判断他们明天可能采取的立场。他们非常清楚，事情发生后，他们将不会得到任何宽恕，并将拼命战斗到底。”

大多数军官听取了他的建议。马利特船长在栏杆上坐下，拿出笔记本，用铅笔写下：

“亲爱的约翰爵士：

“虽然我给你寄了一封来自坎波尔的长信，那是我在沿河而上写的，不过四天前，我认为还是用铅笔写几行比较好。除非我明天下去，否则你不会得到它们，因为如果我顺利通过，我当然会把它们撕掉。我现在正在驻地附近写信。今天我们发生了一些争斗，但叛军并没有做出任何严肃的立场。明天就不同了，因为我们必须杀出一条路穿过这座城镇，毫无疑问，抵抗将是非常顽强的。对于上次写给你的内容，我没有什么可补充的。我想让你知道的是，我今晚一直在想念你，我向你、格林代尔夫人和伯莎致以最良好的祝愿，祝你们长寿和幸福。

“您最诚挚的，

“弗兰克·马利特。”

他从笔记本上撕下一页，将其放入信封中并指示它，然后将其放入制服的内袋中。

“所以你没有在写，马歇尔，”他一边说，一边走向坐在护墙角上的年轻少尉。

“马利特船长，我没有特别的人可以写信，如果我明天倒下，唯一会感到极度悲伤的人就是我的债主。”

“我们都应该感到抱歉，马歇尔，非常抱歉。自从我们从普利茅斯启航以来，你的行为就表明你决心挽回之前的愚蠢行为。前几天，上校亲自向我谈到了这件事，并表示他非常希望你能成为一名稳定而有用的军官。我们都注意到，除了正常饮酒量之外，你什么也没喝，而且在整个航程中你没有碰过任何一张卡片。”

“自从我在普利茅斯上船以来，我没有花过一分钱，”小伙子说。 “我让出纳员在伦敦向我下达了我们到达坎普尔当天应付的工资金额的订单，并将其寄给了莫里森；这样他就从火中救出了大约十五磅。当然，钱不多，但无论如何，这会让他知道我打算诚实地还钱。”

“干得好，小伙子。你放弃打牌、不喝超出女王津贴的酒是完全正确的。但不要在必需品上吝惜自己。例如，这里需要水果，当然，当我们进入定居点时，你必须养一匹马，因为其他人都会这样做。你到底从莫里森那里得到了多少现金？”

“三百;为此我给了他四五十的账单和我的佣金留置权。”

“好吧，小伙子，我会写信给我在伦敦的律师，让他去见莫里森，并请他在这件事上与你公平地会面。他会知道，你可能要过很多年才能再次来到英国，如果你被杀，他就会彻底失败；因此，在这种情况下，我毫不怀疑他会很乐意做出相当大的减免，也许会满足于你从他那里真正得到的钱。”

“我担心我的信及其附文向他保证我将及时支付应付款项，这会让他的心变得更坚强，”马歇尔笑道。 “尽管如此，我仍然非常感激，但我认为这没有任何用处。”

然而，离开他后，马利特下楼，向军需官借了一些墨水，写信给他的律师，附上一张 300 英镑的支票，并附有去见放债人的指示。

“你会发现，他会很高兴地把年轻马歇尔的四五十美元的账单交给他，”他说。 “他已经有了十五英镑，对于这小伙子拥有的三百英镑来说，这是一个公平的利息。他非常清楚，如果马歇尔去世，他将失去每一分钱，而且无论如何，他将不得不等待很多年才能得到它。我毫不怀疑他会欣然答应几百美元的出价，但这个年轻人应该在一段时间内感到自己有义务，这也是好事，而且既然那个人确实借给了他钱，那么他就不公平了。应该是绝对的失败者。”

第二天早上，三天的口粮发给了部队，进攻开始了。这场运动的目标是塞康德巴格（Secunderbagh），这是一个大花园，周围有一堵又高又坚固的墙，为火枪射击提供了漏洞。要到达那里，必须首先攻克一个坚固坚固的村庄。这次袭击由霍普准将的旅领导，该团是该旅的一部分。当他们接近村庄时，他们遭到了猛烈的火枪射击，以致于改变了前进的顺序，先头团按照小规模战斗的顺序向前推进。马炮和重型野战炮被调来，向村庄倾泻猛烈的火力，将守军从城墙上的阵地赶了出去。

此后，步兵立即冲上前去，向村庄发起猛攻，敌人顽强抵抗，占领房屋，奋战到底。然而，他们的主力逃到了塞康德巴格。第四锡克教徒奉命领导这次袭击，而该旅的英国步兵则负责掩护这次行动。然而，这些人太兴奋了，太急于攻击敌人，无法保持静止状态，离开村庄后，与锡克教徒并肩向前冲去，攻击了城墙。这里有一个小缺口，许多人在敌人出其不意地发起猛烈抵抗之前冲了过去。然而入口太窄，能进去的人寥寥无几，而在里面激烈的战斗中，其余的部队却想办法进去，但都没有成功。

大门两侧各有两扇装有铁栅栏的窗户，一些爬到窗下的士兵举起了刺刀上的军帽。守军向他们猛烈射击，士兵们一跃而起，跳向栅栏，在守军重新装弹之前用主力将他们拉倒。然后他们跳了进去，其他人也跟着他们，城门打开，主力部队涌了进来。

花园被 2,000 名叛乱分子占领。部队高呼“记住坎波尔”，向他们扑去。尽管叛乱分子拼命战斗，而且斗争持续了相当长的时间，但最后每个人都被枪杀或用刺刀刺死。

与此同时，附近正在进行一场激烈的斗争。塞康德巴格附近矗立着沙阿努吉夫大清真寺。它有一个圆顶屋顶，有一个有漏洞的护墙和四个尖塔，里面挤满了步枪手。它坐落在一个大花园里，周围有一堵高墙，同样有漏洞，入口处被坚固的砖石堵住。这座建筑的大火严重损害了霍普师的部队，当时他们正在强行进入塞康德巴格，皮尔上尉和海军旅用重炮对其进行攻击。他在距离城墙几码的地方就位，并在孟加拉炮兵的迫击炮炮台和野战炮台的协助下，猛烈开火。高地人用猛烈的火力攻击敌人的漏洞，掩护水手和炮兵开枪。城墙如此巨大，以至于海军旅的六十八磅炮也花了几个小时才成功突破。

一旦完成，不耐烦的步兵就被命令发起攻击，冲进去，压倒了所有的抵抗，杀死了围墙内的所有人，除了一些从后面的墙上跳下来逃脱的人。

此时已是下午晚些时候，当天的运营已停止。敌人主要防御的建筑物已经被攻克，遇到的困难也比较小。第二天，一座名为“食堂”的坚固建筑遭到袭击。该阵地首先被炮兵攻破，然后由第 53 团和第 90 团以及一支锡克教分队发起进攻；后者单枪匹马地袭击了位于食堂后面的另一座名为天文台的建筑。

与此同时，驻地驻军也按照卡瓦纳提出的计划，开始了他们这边的行动。他们已经收到了占领塞康德巴格和清真寺的信号，在攻击食堂的同时，他们炸毁了防御工事的外墙，炮击了远处的地面，然后带着两座大型建筑向前推进。他们在刺刀的尖端。

战斗持续了一整天，英国人双方都取得了进展。第二天，仍夹在中间的房屋被占领，下午，驻地保卫者和救援部队联手。后者总损失为官兵阵亡122人、受伤345人。

弗兰克·马利特给约翰·格林代尔爵士的信没有寄出。当部队向塞康德巴格推进时，他的左臂中弹，但他用腰带作为投石索，带领连队对抗聚集在花园里的守军，并参加了殊死的战斗。在三天的战斗中，他的三名兄弟军官被杀，另外五人受伤。

“好吧，马歇尔，”那天晚上，当通往官邸的道路畅通时，他说道。 “我明白了，你没有欺骗你的债权人。”

“不，马利特船长。当我们等待进入塞康德巴格时，清真寺里的那些家伙向我们猛烈开火，我想起了他。在我看来，他获得金钱的机会并不值得。子弹多么嗖嗖地飞啊！我确信在我们能躲到墙下之前我们都应该被砍倒。

“我想我再也不会在战斗中感到害怕了。人们会发现步枪火力毕竟不是那么危险。如果是这样的话，三天的战斗我们能活着出来的人就很少了，而伤亡也只有参战兵力的十分之一。你受伤了，我感到非常抱歉。”

“哦，我的伤不过是小事而已。我几乎没有感觉到，直到我旁边的中士说：“你的手臂受伤了，马利特上尉。”医生说它差点就撞到骨头了，但在这种情况下，差点就差一英里了。我对哈查德、里弗斯和迈尔斯感到非常抱歉。他们都是好人，当这种兴奋结束后，我们会悲伤地想念他们。它会给你一步。”

“是的，我不会说这是幸运的，因为人们无法忘记它是如何获得的。不过，这对我来说仍然是一个很好的电梯，因为我下面有两三个可以购买的电梯，否则我应该要等很长时间。这让你的名次更高了，马利特船长。”

“一旦战斗结束，我就会彻底撤离，所以无论我在名单上排第四还是第五，对我来说都没有什么区别。”

“尽管如此，能够经历这一切并参与复仇工作仍然是一种极大的满足。在塞康德巴格，这是一件可怕的事情，尽管当时人们并没有想到这一点。恶棍们罪有应得，但我承认我不应该再去那个地方。他们一定遭受了巨大的痛苦。上校今天下午说，他发现他们的损失至少有六七千人。”

该团全力参与解救勒克瑙后的工作，部分部队被分配到各个飞行纵队中，这些纵队搜索了奥德，击败了昆维尔·辛格，并将叛军赶到了他们面前。

二月初，队伍中的空缺被来自英格兰的选秀填补。这项工作令人极度疲劳，但这些人通常都健康状况良好，持续的兴奋使他们免受炎热或发烧的影响。

两个连已经离开团总部六个星期了，他们回来时发现有许多信在等待着他们，这是他们离开英国后收到的第一封信。指挥这支部队的马利特上尉发现了约翰·格林代尔爵士在收到康普尔的来信后写的一封信。

“我亲爱的马利特：

“我们都很高兴收到你的来信。早在我们收到这封信之前，我们就收到了勒克瑙发生殊死战斗的消息，当然，这条消息是在你的信之前就被电报到海岸的。你可能会想象，我们焦急地浏览着死者和受伤者的名单，并且确实很高兴你的名字后面有“轻微”一词。

“这里的情况和往常一样。你离开后的第二天早上，你的一位房客的女儿玛莎·贝内特失踪了，引起了一种可怕的感觉。前一天傍晚，她离开家，从此杳无音讯。由于她什么也没带走，她逃跑的可能性极小，毫无疑问，这个可怜的女孩是被谋杀的，很可能是被一些路过的流浪汉谋杀的。然而，尽管对整个街区进行了最严格的搜查，但她的尸体始终没有被发现。

“就在你离开的时候，我们失去了另一个邻居——珀西·卡修。他去北美参加了一年的大型比赛。我们不太想念他，因为他住在伦敦，不常去他家。自从你从克里米亚回来后我就不记得他在那儿了。无论如何，我不认为我见过你和他在一起，无论是在狩猎场还是在晚宴上；当然，如果你们同时来到这里的话，你们也会是这样的。如果我没记错的话，你们是同一所学校的。”

然后是一些关于共同朋友的八卦，信的结论是：

“随着德里被占领以及勒克瑙的驻军撤走，普遍的兴奋情绪有所平静。当然，在整个事情结束之前还会有更多的战斗，但人们不再担心印度的安全。锡克教徒表现出色。在几年前我们对他们进行了巨大的殴打之后，谁会想到呢？

“照顾好自己，小伙子。您拥有维多利亚十字勋章，即使没有酒吧也能做得很好，所以请给其他人机会。我的妻子和伯莎表达了他们的爱。”

他的另外两三封信是来自国内军团的朋友们，哀叹他们因退出战斗而遭遇的不幸。他最后打开的那封信上有最新的邮戳。这是他的律师寄来的，并附上了马歇尔取消的账单。

“当然，当你要求我为所附的物品提供 300 英镑时，我照做了，但从莫里森欣然接受这个提议的方式来看，我相信他会很高兴接受这笔钱的一半。”

马利特走进他的帐篷，安静地打开他的信。不久他走到了入口处，看到马歇尔就叫他起来。

“我已经为你处理好了这件事，马歇尔，”他说。 “并且以一种我确信我们双方都会满意的方式进行了安排。你现在必须把我而不是莫里森视为你的债权人，这样你就不会觉得我是个难缠的人了。这是您取消的四百五十帐单。我花了三百买的，这样你的债务一下子就免除了三分之一。至于剩下的，你可以按你打算付给他的钱付给我，但我不希望你不必要地节俭自己。你方便的时候一次付给我十英镑或十五英镑，不要让我们再多说什么。”

“但我可能会被杀，”马歇尔说道，声音中充满了情感。

“如果你是，小伙子，这件事就结束了。如你所知，我的情况非常好，损失不会对我产生任何影响。很可能你会在与叛乱王公的一次风流韵事中发现一些丰富的战利品，并且能够立即付清全部。”

“如果可以的话，我会的，马利特，虽然我认为用我的积蓄来做这件事会更令人满意，但我会很高兴知道，如果我后来被消灭了，你也不会是一个失败者。 ”

几天后，弗兰克·马利特（Frank Mallett）和他的连队被派去镇压据报道占领了二十英里外一个大村庄的叛乱分子。阿姆斯特朗因轻微发烧而卧床不起，他请求这次任命马歇尔代替他。

“上校，”他说，“做这样的事情，需要两个副官。我可能得派一支队伍到村子后面去切断叛军的退路，而且可能需要分两处进攻。”

“当然。如果你愿意的话，就带上马歇尔吧，马利特船长。这个年轻人一直表现得很好，并且已经恢复了他的品格。约翰逊上尉向我报告说，他在职责上堪称典范，在枪林弹雨中表现出了极大的英勇，特别是在尼穆奇附近的那起事件中，他冲上前救走了一名伤员，否则他肯定会被杀。我向准将报告了这个情况，准将说，在任何其他时候，这个年轻人可能都会被推荐为越级军官，但个人英勇的例子太多了，他没有机会获得这一机会；但四天前的命令中特别提到了马歇尔，这当然对他有利。

“一定要带他一起去；你的少尉只是在最后一次选秀中加入的，你肯定会想要一个比他更有经验的人和你一起。”

当马歇尔听说他要陪伴马利特船长时，他很高兴。除了他自己的连队之外，马利特上尉指挥着一百名旁遮普步兵和五十匹锡克马，土著部队是在最后一刻才加入的，因为刚刚收到另一支叛乱分子朝同一方向行进的报告。在。

弗兰克花了一刻钟检查了该国的一些地图，并与担任向导的当地人进行了交谈。当这支小部队集结完毕后，他就向与村庄所在的方向完全相反的方向行进。作为指挥，他在战役期间首次上马。锡克教徒的中尉立即骑马来到他面前。

“请原谅，马利特船长，但我不得不认为你的向导正在带你走向错误的方向。出发前我看了地图，发现斗寺几乎就在正北。我们正在向西进军。”

“你说得很对，哈蒙德先生，但是，你看，我不想让营地里的任何当地人猜测我们要去哪里。这些奥德人对我们没有任何善意，其中一个可能会匆忙离开，并带来有关我们所走路线的信息。

“我们将沿着这条路行进四英里，然后由另一条向北的道路发起进攻。如果可以的话，我们必须给他们一个惊喜。我们对他们的力量了解不多，即使我们了解，在我们到达那里之前，他们也可能会被其他团体加入——全国各地有无数的他们的乐队。接下来，如果他们知道我们要来，他们可能会在我们到达之前逃跑。

“而且，有些村庄的实力很强，如果他们发现了我们的到来，我们可能会吃很多苦才能搬走。然而，你向我指出我们并没有朝着正确的方向前进，这是非常正确的。”

专栏于下午四点开始。原定第二天一早出发，但弗兰克向上校建议，当晚行军一半的距离比较有利。

“当然，我们明天可以跑二十英里，上校，”他说，“但是当人们到达那里时，他们很难处于最佳的战斗状态。而且，从下午开始，这里的当地人就会想象我们要在不远处的一个村庄里扑捕一些逃亡者。”

许可很快就得到了批准，因此，行军到晚上九点后，队伍在向导的带领下停在距离公路半英里的树林里。每个人的背包里都装着四天的熟食。因此，没有必要生火，在看到哨兵被安置在树林边缘后，弗兰克·马利特加入了聚集在中心的军官。

“明天我们几点出发？”当地步兵指挥官问道。

“直到白天的炎热过去。我们已经走了大约十二英里，还有更多的事情要做；如果我们像今天一样在同一时间出发，我们将在九点左右到达那里。我将在半里外停下来，夜间侦察，如果地面开阔，可以无声无息地移动，我们就将部队部署在他们要占领的位置上，天一亮就进攻。

“这样我们就能获得出其不意的好处，同时也能有阳光来阻止他们逃跑。此外，如果我们在夜间袭击，很多村民，或许还有妇女，可能会在混乱中丧生。

“明天早上我们要砍掉一些小树苗，制作十几个云梯。我们带了一袋火药来炸开城门，如果主力进去，而其他地方有两支队伍爬上城墙，我们就会让他们落入陷阱。”

第二天晚上九点左右，向导说他们现在距离村庄不到半英里了，于是他们停了下来。这些人被命令保持安静，吃完晚饭后就躺下睡觉。马利特则在两名土著部队军官和向导的陪同下朝村庄走去。

发现它比预期的要大。三边都是耕地，一直延伸到周围坚固的城墙脚下，而第四边则是崎岖不平的土地，上面覆盖着灌木丛和灌木丛。

“这能延伸多远？”马利特船长向向导问道。

“大约半英里，然后进入一片大丛林，大人。”

“这是他们试图逃跑的方向；因此，赫伯特先生，您将带领您的手下带着四个云梯绕到这里。你将把它们放在墙脚，当你听到火药袋爆炸或火枪射击时，你将爬上墙并前进与我会面，保持尽可能宽的正面，以便防止逃犯从你身边经过并离开这里。骑兵将切断那些穿越旷野的人。我很想知道里面有多少这样的人。最初报道的数字是四百。当然，他们可能已经搬走了，另一方面，也可能有其他人加入了他们的行列。据说他们身上有一些枪，但这些在村里的街道上没什么用处，我们可能会在他们开枪之前就抓住他们。”

三点钟，部队站了起来，悄无声息地向分配给他们的阵地走去。马利特上尉率领自己的连队来到距离城墙四百码以内的地方，然后派马歇尔带着两个人上前将火药袋和引信固定在大门上。当他们做完这件事后，他们要安静地待在那里，直到收到连队即将前进的警告为止。然后他们点燃导火索，导火索被切断，燃烧两分钟，然后绕着墙角撤退，并在连队出现时加入其中。部队们躺下，因为地面平坦，没有地方可以隐藏自己，他们焦急地注视着天空，直到第一缕曙光出现。又过了十分钟。天色很快就亮了，一名男子被派去见马歇尔中尉，报告连队已经开始行动了。

当信使到达大门时，马利特立即发出了命令。男人们跳了起来。

“别加倍，伙计们。我们会及时赶到的，喘不过气来破坏你的拍摄是没有用的。”

他们距离城门不到一百码，就听到村子里传来喊叫声，他们继续前进，墙上就响起了枪声。片刻之后，发生了剧烈的爆炸，随着烟雾散去，大门被摧毁了。

几秒钟后，部队冲破了缺口。村里传来步兵军号声，喊叫声、警报声和命令声此起彼伏。叛乱分子手持步枪从每户人家冲出，但都被军队击落或用刺刀刺伤。当后者接近村庄中央的一大片空地时，一支强大的土兵队伍在当地军官的带领下整齐有序地前去迎接他们。

“稳住，伙计们，稳住，”马利特船长喊道。 “从街对面走过去。”

很快，这些人就陷入了困境，尽管有几个人因为水兵防线上的齐射而倒下。

“先齐射，然后冲锋，”马利特喊道。有些枪已经空了，但当命令发出时，其余的都开火了，就像在阅兵式上一样。

“水平刺刀——冲锋！”士兵们欢呼雀跃，向前冲去。塞波伊人虽然指挥精良，但他们却动摇了，溃散了。但他们还没来得及飞，英国人就已经扑到了他们身上，高喊着“坎波尔”，用刺刀致命地击退了他们。

当他们来到空旷的地方，逃亡者从两侧撤离时，他们看到一长排的人排成一排。过了一会儿，一道火光沿着它跑了过去。

“肩并肩，伙计们，”马利特船长喊道。 “把刺刀给他们。”

由于许多战友倒下了，连队发出一声嘶哑的愤怒咆哮，冲上前去，像一张纸一样冲破了叛乱者的队伍。然后他们分开，马利特上尉带着半个连转向右边。马歇尔将另一翼带到了左边。

由于攻击者人数较少，叛乱分子在军官的欢呼下进行了顽强的抵抗。四周的房屋向英国人开火，叛乱者的喊叫声越来越大，猛烈的齐射突然向他们倾泻而下，旁遮普人从面向英国人进入的街道上冲了出来。他们向右冲去，落在马歇尔所打的尸体上。

塞波伊人大吃一惊，立刻失去了信心。英国人大声欢呼，更加猛烈地攻击他们，而旁遮普人则冲进了他们中间。刹那间，印度兵的侧翼被敌人猛烈追击，四散奔逃。没有开火，因为步枪都空了。但刺刀发挥了作用，空地和从刺刀延伸出来的街道上布满了死者。

另一方面，受到马利特船长一行人攻击的塞波伊人虽然一度动摇，但仍坚守阵地；由两三名当地军官率领，他们以最勇敢的方式战斗，劝说他们的士兵继续抵抗。

“你宁愿被绞死也不愿打架吗？”他们喊道。 “他们不过是少数；我们与他们的比分是五比一。前进吧，伙计们，在其他人回来援助之前消灭这些费令吉人。”

现在，袭击者是土兵，他们发出愤怒的叫喊声，围住了这支小小的英国军队。

“稳住，伙计们，稳住，”马利特上尉喊道，同时用剑刺穿了一名冲向他的叛军领导人的身体。 “保持在一起，背靠背。我们马上就会得到帮助。”

然而，在缓解到来之前，时间比这还要长。一场殊死的搏斗持续了三四分钟，然后就听见马歇尔的声音喊道：

“这边走，伙计们，这边！”

过了一会儿，起义者的队伍中出现了一股汹涌的运动，马歇尔带着十几个人冲破了他们，加入了队伍。这些人立即猛烈地袭击了叛乱分子，当叛乱分子已经屈服时，大约有五十名旁遮普人在他们的军官的带领下向他们发起进攻。

效果是决定性的。塞波伊人立刻四散奔逃，被愤怒的士兵和旁遮普人追赶。逃亡者到达墙壁后，不计后果地跳了下来。其中四十或五十人被骑兵砍倒，但大部分都安全到达了破碎的地面。在这里，骑兵无法跟踪他们，因为地面上布满了岩石和灌木丛隐藏的巨石。村子里死了三百五十人。

“谢谢，马歇尔，”村里的战斗结束后，弗兰克·马利特说道。 “你来得正是时候，因为我们的处境非常艰难。总而言之，这超出了我们的预期，因为他们的实力肯定超过了一千人。昨天肯定有一支非常强大的队伍加入了他们。”

“我不应该走这么远，”马歇尔回答道，“但我不知道所有的旁遮普人都站在了我们一边。这些人是如此渴望，以至于我费了很大的劲才让他们摆脱追击。幸运的是，我遇到了赫伯特，并得知他所有的人都和我们在一起。然后我召集了十几个人，冲了出去，告诉他一旦能召集一些人就跟上。

“你可以想象，当我进入空地时，我看到一大群印度兵，却看不到你们任何人的踪影；我多么咒骂自己的愚蠢，当我们冲出一条路时，发现你还站着，我感到多么高兴。”

“是的，马歇尔，这是一场险胜；再过两三分钟，一切就都结束了。从那里堆积如山的尸体就可以看出，这些人像狮子一样战斗。一半人都倒下了，二十个人在四五百人面前根本坚持不了多久。

“毫无疑问，我们欠你一条命。我不认为你在这件事上有丝毫的责任，因为你自然会认为一些旁遮普人会加入我们。此外，当然重要的是，你不应该给塞波伊人集结的时间，而应该紧随他们。

“安斯特拉瑟在哪儿？”

“我不知道。自从我们进入广场以来，我就没有见过他。”

“你们有人见过安斯特拉瑟先生吗？”马利特上尉转向附近的一些士兵问道。

“他躺在那边，长官，”其中一名男子说道。 “当我们走出街道时，潘迪兄弟向我们开枪时，他就在我面前，他向前倾斜，像石头一样摔倒。我认为他的头部中弹了，长官。”

他们走到了那边。躺在那里的少尉的大脑被射穿了。四五个士兵围着他。其中一人死亡，其他人或多或少都受了重伤。

“召集集会，”马利特船长悲伤地转过身，对一名号手说道。 “让我们看看我们的损失是什么。”

号角一响，步兵们很快就投入了战斗。他们一直在房屋里搜寻叛乱分子。旁遮普人仅损失了五人，十三人受伤，而白人中，一名军官和十八人被杀，十六人受伤；前者中有九人在与印度兵的刺刀搏斗中阵亡。九支枪被缴获，但没有一支被开火，这次袭击是如此突然，以至于塞波伊人只来得及在袭击者袭击他们之前陷入困境。

“这是一次值得赞扬的胜利，”马利特说，“考虑到我们不得不面对的人数是我们预期的两倍多。我们的伤亡虽然惨重，但对于叛乱分子来说却不算什么。

“中士，带一队人马去巡视一下，清点敌军阵亡的人数。

“啊，索瓦尔来了，我们要听听骑兵在外面做什么。”

士兵递给他一张纸：“敌军阵亡五十三人，其余逃入丛林。我们这边有两人受伤；一个是认真的，一个是轻微的。”

“这正是我们所期望的，马歇尔。当然，大部分都是从后面的墙翻过去的。你看，我们所有的计划都因为发现他们有如此意想不到的力量而被打乱。如果我们能够独自击败他们，旁遮普人就会切断那个方向的退路。事实上，这部分业务是失败的。”

不久，中士回来了。

“先生，街上有 340 个人，”他报告道。 “我估计还有20或30人在房子里被杀，但我还没有搜查过。”

“那已经足够接近了； 400以上就足够了。

“现在，马歇尔先生，让人们开始制作担架来运送伤员。

“先生。赫伯特，你能派一队人在村外为遇难者挖一个大坟墓，并为安斯特拉瑟先生挖一个小坟墓吗？可怜的家伙，我对他的损失感到非常遗憾；他会成为一名优秀的军官。

“抱军士，带一队人到村子里搜查粮草。我们有面包，但是把手放在你能找到的任何家禽或山羊身上，也许会有一些绵羊。”

当这群人离开时，另一群人拆毁了一座空房子的木结构，火很快就燃烧起来，并获得了大量的家禽和山羊。这时，骑兵已经进来了。

当做饭的时候，英国人和旁遮普人的死者被抬到挖坟墓的地方。部队吃了一顿丰盛的饭菜，然后就从村子里出发了。它们被围在坟墓周围，尸体被虔诚地安放在里面。马利特船长对他们说了几句话。然后，土被铲平，部队行进到一英里外的一片树林，在那里停下来，直到白天的炎热过去。他们沿着直达营地的道路返回，并于午夜到达营地。

对叛乱分子的沉重打击，有关各方都获得了极大的赞誉，准将在给总司令的报告中也高度评价了这件事。不久之后，马利特的名字出现在一般命令中，晋升为名誉多数，等待国内当局的确认。

小纵队返回两天后，该旅行进并与在坎普尔集结的部队汇合，对勒克瑙进行最后的行动，并于 3 月 XNUMX 日到达迪尔库沙的总司令，该司令官是用同样的部队俘获的。与前一次进展时一样轻松。

他们发现，当主力部队聚集在那里时，詹姆斯·奥特兰爵士率领的 6,000 人已从明矾巴格渡过古姆提河，并在击败敌人的两次猛攻后，在钦胡特占据了阵地。 9 日，科林·坎贝尔爵士以微弱损失夺取了马提尼埃号。 11日，奥特兰将军将部队推进至铁桥，并建立了炮台控制石桥的通行。 12日，伊曼巴拉河被攻破并发起猛攻，部队向飞行中的敌人猛烈逼近，进入了该城最坚固的防御宫殿——皇帝巴格，并将敌人赶了出去。

第——号正在参与这次行动，马利特少校正率领他的连队攻击伊曼巴拉号，突然一声枪响将他击倒在地。当他回过神来时，他发现自己身处一间被匆忙改建为医院的房间里，团医生靠在他身上。

“发生了什么事？”他问。

“马利特，你确实被击中了，而且还差一点就被击中了；但事实上，你很快就会再次出现。”

“我哪里被撞到了？我不觉得疼。”

“你的颈部被击中，大约在锁骨上方半英寸处，球已经穿过颈部的肌肉；除了你在一段时间内无法转过头之外，你也不会因此而变得更糟。再向右一英寸，或者低一英寸或高一英寸，就会致命。不是敌人为你提供这项服务，因为球从后面升起，从前面出来；这显然是我们的一个同事随机拍摄的。”

“当我领导连队时，我总是更害怕后面的枪击，而不是前面的枪击，医生。这些人太兴奋了，无论如何都会开火，在烟雾中，击中他们前面两三步的军官和击中敌人的可能性一样大。我已经昏迷多久了？”

“你是半小时前被带到这里的，我想你在地上躺了不到几分钟就被抱起来了。”

“我们占领了伊曼巴拉吗？”

“是的，更棒的是，我们的同伴紧随敌人冲进了凯撒花园。我们十分钟前就得到了消息。”

“这确实是好事。在我们采取这一行动之前，我们就预料到了激烈的战斗。”

“是的，马利特，那是一次不幸的射门，让你失去了你的战利品份额。我们一直听说这个地方充满了宝藏和珠宝。”

“如果没有人需要你的注意，医生，我建议你到那里加入军团一两个小时。至于我，我不在乎战利品。有很多人会从中受益，比我应该得到的更多，我心甘情愿地放弃我的份额。”

医生摇了摇头。

“恐怕我做不到；但是，在我们之间，我让弗格森溜走了，他要和我分享他得到的东西。”

“我们有受伤吗？”

“我还不知道。整个事情发生得太突然，损失不会太大。你被带进来的时候，我在大队的后部，由于情况一开始看起来很糟糕，我就派了几个担架手冲破了这所房子的门，在这里搭建了十几张临时床位。正如你所看到的，只有另外四个租户，而且都是无望的情况。毫无疑问，其余的人都被带到了后方，因为只有帮助我的人才会知道这个地方。

“既然你已经醒过来了，我就派几个医院勤务兵到这里来，然后我自己去后面的医院。今晚我再去看看。”

不一会儿，医生带着一名勤务兵回来了。

“我现在找不到另一个，”他说，“但一个就足够了。这是一瓶白兰地，他会在某个地方给你找水。目前对你们谁也没有什么办法，除了在你们想要喝的时候给你们喝之外。”

两个小时后，马歇尔进来了。

“感谢上帝，马利特，你没有受到危险的伤害，”他说。 “我三刻钟前才听说你倒下了，当时我在凯撒花园里与阿姆斯特朗比赛。他告诉我，他在战斗一开始就看到你倒下，我得到了上校的许可去寻找你。在医院里，似乎没有人知道你的情况，但我幸运地遇到了杰弗里斯，他告诉我在哪里可以找到你，而且你的伤并不严重，所以我赶紧回到了这里。他说今晚要送你去医院。”

“是的，我又幸运了。和上次一样，这只是皮肉伤口，尽管情况更糟，因为我预计在接下来的几个星期里我将不得不僵硬地走来走去，而且在这样的事情中躺下是令人作呕的这。我们失去了很多同胞吗？”

“不。斯科贝尔是唯一被杀的军官。亨特、格罗夫斯和帕金森都受伤了——他们说，帕金森伤势严重。我们有二十二名普通士兵阵亡，二十或三十人受伤。我还没有看到回报。”

“那战利品呢，马歇尔？”马利特微笑着说道。 “这都是骗人的吗？”

“这太棒了。我们是第一批到达凯撒巴格的人，我相信每个人的口袋里都塞满了金币。箱子里装满了箱子。他们并不关心这些珠宝——我认为他们把它们当成彩色玻璃。我睁大了眼睛，捡到的钱足以偿还我欠你五倍的债。”

“我对此感到由衷的高兴，马歇尔。别让它再从你的指间溜走。”

“这样你就可以确定我不会。我会将它们全部寄回家给我们的代理商出售，并存钱用于下一步的购买。我已经得到了教训，它将让我受益终生。

“好吧，我现在得走了，老伙计。上校不喜欢让我走，因为当然，这些人需要照顾，而潘迪一家可能会再次努力将我们赶出皇帝花园；就这样，再见。如果今晚我能出去的话，我就去医院看你。”

一周后，弗兰克·马利特坐在床边的椅子上。战斗结束了，在漫长的战斗咆哮之后，出现了一种奇怪的安静。他的脖子上缠着绷带，除了头不能动一动之外，他感觉已经恢复到了团里的位置。他的许多同事时不时地过来聊聊，但职责很重。所有公开的抵抗都已停止，但部队正在搜查房屋，搜查所有以勒克瑙为中心、没有明显生存手段的粗暴分子。大批下层民众开始埋葬死者，否则这座城市将无法居住。夜间布置了强大的警卫，既防止士兵四处游荡寻找战利品，也防止狂热分子突然发动袭击。

“马利特，马利特，马路对面的医院里有一名伤员，”外科医生一天早上说道。 “他是你们连的，但他是最后一稿才出来的，而且是在战斗开始的那天才调来的，我想你不认识他。他说我要告诉你他的名字叫乔治·莱赫米尔，尽管他入伍时的名字是约翰·希尔顿。”

“我似乎知道这个名字，医生，虽然我现在不记得在哪里遇见他。我想我可以进去看看他吗？”

“哦，是的，没有什么异议。你的伤口恢复得很好；当然，你仍然因失血而虚弱。今天下午我将送你去迪尔库沙公园里刚刚建立的医院。我们会尽快把你们全部救出来，因为现在这座小镇的恶臭太可怕了，在这种有毒的气氛中，伤口很难痊愈。”

“这个人伤势严重吗，医生？”

“非常危险。我几乎不抱有拯救他的希望，并且认为他很可能无法再活二十四小时了。当然，他可能会接受更好的改变。我带你去见他。我现在已经完成这里了。”

“这对你来说一定是一段糟糕的时光，医生，”他们走过时，马利特说道。

“非常困难，但最有趣。从战斗开始到昨晚，我每次睡的时间都没有超过两个小时，然后我就再也睡不着了。当然，我们所有人都一样，炎热的天气让一切变得非常艰难。我特别急切地想把伤员救出这个地方，因为现在兴奋已经过去了，我预计会爆发发烧或痢疾。

“那边，那个在那边角落床上的人就是你的人。”

马利特走到床边，看着受伤的人。他的脸色憔悴、紧绷，双眼深陷，脸色惨白，头发上全是汗水。

“你认识我吗，马利特船长？”

“不，小伙子，我不能说我知道，尽管当医生告诉我你的名字时，我觉得很熟悉。如果我一周后才见到你，我很可能会认出你，但是，你看，我们都因伤口的影响而发生了很大的变化。”

“我是你的佃农莱赫米尔的儿子。”

“我的妈呀！男人。你不是想说你是莱赫米尔的长子乔治！到底是什么让你走到了这一步？”

“你做到了。”男人严肃地说。 “你的邪恶行为把我带到了这里。”

弗兰克·马利特吃了一惊，伤口剧烈地刺痛，突然疼痛得他差点叫出声来。

“你脑子里到底想出了什么疯狂的主意，我可怜的家伙？”他安慰地说。 “我意识到我没有对你或你的家人做任何错事。离开之前的下午我见到了你的父亲和母亲。他们没有抱怨任何事情。”

“不，他们已经很满足了。马利特船长，你知道我爱玛莎·班尼特吗？”

“不。近年来，我很少在家，所以我对房客的私人事务知之甚少，但我当然记得她，而且我很伤心地从前几天约翰·格林代尔爵士的一封信中得知，在一些她失踪的方式很奇怪。”

“还有谁比你更清楚这一点呢？”那人说着，用手肘撑起身子，用一种死一般的仇恨目光盯着马利特，马利特不由自主地后退了一步。

“我看到你在她父亲的房子前面和她笑着说话。你离开前一天晚上，我听到你和她在花园里，然后她就消失了，你在小巷里听到的是我的声音。如果我知道你那天晚上要走，我就会跟着你，杀了你，救了她。第二天早上你们俩都走了。我等了一会儿就到你们团的兵站去参军了。我没能救她，但至少我可以为她报仇。那颗子弹是我的，如果你没有被潘迪的尸体绊倒，我想，就在我扣动扳机的时候，你就已经死了。

“我不知道自己失败了，带着连队冲在了最激烈的战斗中。我想被杀，但没有子弹击中我，最后，当我沿着凯撒花园的一条通道追赶潘迪时，他转身用他的棋子瞄准了我。我的子弹已经上膛，我本可以在他转身时将他击落，但我站了起来，让他开枪。当我发现自己在这里时，我很抱歉他没有立即解决我，但当我听说你还活着，并且可能康复时，我在心里感谢他，他让我多活了几天，我可以让你知道，是我开枪的，玛莎的错误并没有完全得到报应。”

他疲惫地倒在枕头上。弗兰克·马利特并没有试图打断他：伤口突然传来的剧痛和对这个奇怪指控的惊讶让他受到了极大的震惊，以至于他靠在身后的墙上，默默地感到惊奇。

“你好！马利特，你到底怎么了？外科医生惊呼道，当他从不远处弯下身子看着一名病人时，他抬起头来，目光落在了军官的脸上。 “你看起来好像快要晕倒了，伙计。

“给，有秩序，来点白兰地和水，快点！”

弗兰克喝了一些白兰地和水，然后坐了几分钟。然后，当他看到房间另一端的外科医生时，他站起来走到莱奇米尔的床边。

“这是一个可怕的错误，莱赫米尔，”他平静地说。 “我以绅士的名誉向你发誓，你完全错了。从我进入贝内特家的狗车那一刻起，我就再也没有见过玛莎。我对花园里的谈话一无所知。你以为你看到了我，也听到了我的声音吗？”

“不，你在那堵高墙的一侧，我在另一侧，但我听到的声音足以知道是谁。你告诉她你必须立即出国，但如果她出国，你就会让她负责某人，直到你能娶她为止。你告诉她，她不能在原地待太久，我知道这意味着什么。我想她还在加尔各答等着，因为她当然不可能和你一起出来。我想她现在心碎了——如果她没有死的话，我希望她死了。”

“莱赫米尔，你听到加尔各答或印度这个词了吗？”

“不，我没有，但我听得够多了。每个人都知道你一两天后就会去，在我下午看到的事情之后，这对我来说已经足够了。”

“下午你什么也没看到，”马利特船长生气地说。 “女孩的父亲和母亲都在家。我们大家在一起聊天，直到出来。当他们站在开着的窗户前时，她和我一起来到了陷阱。不到一分钟，我就开车离开了。自从她还是个小孩子以来，我已经和她说过六次话了。

“嘿，伙计，如果每个人都像你一样脑子里有如此疯狂的幻想，那么就没有男人敢和女人说话了。

“然而，”他改变了声音继续说道，“现在不是生气的时候。你病得很重，莱赫米尔，但医生并没有放弃你，我相信你还会康复，并且能够让你自己满意地证明，无论这个可怜的女孩发生了什么事，至少我，我完全无辜。但如果你不能克服这种伤害，我不希望你到坟墓时都相信我对你做了这么大的错事。我对你说话就像对一个垂死的人说话一样，无意欺骗你，我对天向你发誓我对此一无所知。不久之后，我也可能会因叛乱者的枪击而倒下，我感谢上帝，让我能在这件事上以一个无辜者的身份在他面前见到你。

“我得走了，因为我看到医生来接我了。再见，小伙子，我们可能不会再见面了，尽管我相信我们会的；但如果没有，我完全原谅你向我开枪。这是一个奇怪错误的结果，但如果我按照你的想法行事，我就活该被你安排的死。”

“搞混了，马利特，你来这里的恶作剧似乎没完没了。本来你自己都差点被撞倒了，现在这个人却躺在那里昏迷不醒。所以，看在上帝的份上，再次回到你的房间，躺下来，让自己在这一天剩下的时间里保持安静。如果你留在这里，我会让整个病区士气低落。”

马利特上尉往回走的时候，脚步比进医院时更加虚弱和不稳定。他有些怀疑这个提出这种奇怪指控并差点夺走他生命的人是否真的神智正常，以及他声称自己在花园里听到的谈话是否完全是他的想象。现在他想起了当乔治·莱赫米尔看到他向玛莎告别时，他突然转身走开，而她则轻蔑地耸了耸肩。

这个人要么是疯了，要么是具有可怕的嫉妒心，才会从这样的事件中召唤出伤害：而愿意这样做的人很可能在他的大脑着火时，召唤出这段想象中的对话。不过，他可能听到了某个男人在和她说话。据约翰爵士所说，她确实在那个时候离开了房子，走进了花园，而且她肯定再也没有回来。

他现在记起了关于乔治·莱赫米尔的一切。他被誉为附近最好的牲畜判断者，而且是一个彻底稳重的人，但他看不出那张萎缩而憔悴的脸与他记忆中的有任何相似之处。

当天晚上，医院里的官兵都被抬到了城外的新医院。当医生在他们被转移之前进来时，他告诉马利特，他看到的那个人已经从昏迷中恢复过来。

“他差点就死了，”他说，“但我们设法让他恢复过来，在我看来，从那以后他好多了。我不知道他对你说了些什么，也不知道你对他说了些什么，我也不想知道；但他似乎忘记了什么。他的发烧程度没有以前那么高了，我确实有一些微弱的希望能够帮助他渡过难关，尤其是因为他现在处于更健康的氛围中。”

那天深夜，当所有伤员躺在医院大帐篷的床上时，这确实是一种安慰。空气显得凉爽清新，有一种在镇上不可能有的安静和安宁的感觉，军队不断移动，砖石倒塌的声音，灰尘和腐烂的恶臭。

一周后，外科医生告诉马利特，他现在希望他感兴趣的士兵能够康复。

“他的胜算是一百比一，”他说，“但唯一的机会已经消失了。”

“他还能再次服役吗，医生？”

“是的，我不明白他为什么不应该这样做，尽管他还需要很长时间才能携带他的装备和武器进行一整天的长途行军。现在天气已经够热了，但距离最坏的情况还远着呢，还有大量的工作要做，预计不久之后该团就会再次出发。”

“好吧，无论如何，我可以和你一起去，医生。”

“我没这么说，马利特，”医生疑惑地说。 “再过两周，你的伤口就会痊愈，这样你就可以执行普通任务，但肯定不能长途行军。如果你要去的话，你就必须骑车。一段时间内不能再随你们连队行军了。”

一周后，命令下达，该团被任命为部队的一部分，在沃波尔将军的指挥下，对罗希尔昆德发动攻势，该地区绝大多数逃离的叛军都集中在该地区。勒克瑙现在已站稳脚跟。不幸的是，这座城市的规模以及在实际进攻中使用大量英国军队的必要性，阻碍了对这座城镇的全面投资，其后果是在德皇巴格垮台后到目前为止，该市的大部分叛军已经能够在没有受到骚扰的情况下离开。

离开前，马利特采访了现已脱离危险的乔治·莱赫米尔。

“我现在就应该认识你了，莱赫米尔，”他走到床边说道。 “当然，你还是变了很多，但表情又恢复了，希望两三个月后，你就能重新在队伍中占据一席之地。”

“我不知道，先生。我不适合留在团里，想过先休养回家，然后再买退伍费。我知道你没有说过你是怎么受伤的，甚至没有告诉医生；因为如果你这样做了，医院里就没有人会和我说话了。可是我怎么才能重新加入军团呢？我知道，如果有人怀疑我的所作所为，每个人都会远离我，而我除了向自己的脑袋开一枪之外，别无他法。”

“但没有人会知道这一点。这是一个疯狂的行为，我相信你当时有些生气。”

“现在回想起来，我自己也是这么认为的。我现在想，我一定一直都很生气。我从来没有怀疑过那就是你，现在我清楚地看到，除了那个人所说的要离开的话——任何人都可能这么说——没有任何理由或怀疑对你不利。但即使我从未有过这种怀疑，我也应该离开家。

“为什么，先生，我知道我的父母怀疑我杀了她。我当时就很反感。我对此感到很难受和痛苦，但当我躺在这里时，我发现我自己的行为引起了他们的怀疑，他们怀疑我的理由比我怀疑你的理由好一千倍。 。

“发生的这一切都是我的错。玛莎曾经关心过我，但正是我该死的嫉妒让她离开了我。她性格开朗，心情轻松，享受快乐是很自然的事，如果我没有为此感到委屈的话，这也没什么害处。如果我没有把她从我身边赶走，她早在受到伤害之前就已经是我的妻子了。但事实并非如此也好，因为当时的我知道我应该让她的生活变成地狱。

“这一切都是我做的，我也因此受到了惩罚。即使到最后，如果我没有大声喊叫并试图爬墙，她也可能永远不会走开。她肯定认出了我的声音，并且知道我掌握了她的秘密，担心我可能会杀了她和他，所以她去了。如果不是因为这个，她就不会像她那样走，甚至没有帽子或披肩。”

“那么你并不像那里的大多数人那样认为她是被谋杀的？”

“一点也没有，先生。我从来没有这么想过。她直接就跟那个男人走了。我想现在我知道那人是谁了。”

“别介意这个，莱赫米尔。你知道圣经怎么说，‘主说，伸冤在我’，无论是谁，都把他安全地交在上帝手中。”

“是的，先生，我会尽力做到这一点。我太愚蠢了，以为我可以为她报仇，而且我还赚了一笔好生意。”

“好吧，我认为你想离开军团是胡说八道。这里还有工作要做。有一项工作是惩罚犯下最残暴罪行的人。有一项工作是为英格兰赢回印度。这里每一个能携带武器的英国人都应该留在自己的岗位上，直到工作完成。

“至于我的这个伤口，那只是我们之间的事情。正如我告诉过你的，我完全原谅了你，甚至不太愿意责备你，因为我像你一样认为我对那个可怜的女孩的逃跑负有责任。我永远不会向任何人提起这件事。我已经把它抛在脑后了，就好像从来没有做过一样，你没有理由回避和你的战友们的陪伴。我会更看重你像个男人一样履行自己的职责，而不是你再回家后畏缩不前。”

“你太好了，先生，太好了。”

“胡说，伙计。此外，你必须记住，你并没有逃脱惩罚。如果不是出于你的感觉，在你如你所相信的那样杀了我之后，你绝不会站起来让那个土兵开枪射杀你；因此，你所经历的所有痛苦，以及在你痊愈之前可能仍然必须经历的痛苦，都是你自己接受的惩罚。一个人犯了罪一旦受到惩罚，事情就结束了，你不必再为此悲伤；但这将是一个我希望并相信你永远不会忘记的教训。

“过去五年来，哈克特一直是我的士兵仆人，他在皇帝巴格的战斗中阵亡。如果你愿意的话，当你重新加入时，我会代替他向你申请。这将使你的工作变得更加轻松，而且我希望我的一位老房客的儿子能陪在我身边。”

男人泪流满面。

“好了，我们不要再说什么了，”马利特继续说道，握住了士兵那只瘦弱的手。 “我们就认为事情已经解决了，几个月后我会照顾你，所以尽快康复吧，不要因为想起过去而担心。我现在必须走了，因为今晚我必须带走一群康复者才能重新加入。

“再见，小伙子。”不等他回答，他就转身离开了大帐篷。

“莱赫米尔，我离开才两年半多一点，但似乎已经过了一辈子了。”

“看来确实是时候了，少校。我们肯定已经行进了数千英里，我也记不清我们已经交战过多少次了。我们每周都会吵架，有时甚至会打两三个。”

“好吧，感谢上帝，我们又回来了。尽管如此，我还是很高兴经历过这一切。”

“我也是，先生。这将是一件值得回顾的事情，令人好奇的是，当我们看到并做了这么多事情时，父亲和我的兄弟鲍勃却一直在农场里走来走去，看管牛群，照顾牛群。动物们日复一日地工作，从来没有离开过，只是每个月到奇彭纳姆去市场两三次。”

“你已经下定决心要和我在一起了吗，莱奇米尔？”

“确实如此，先生。除了你把我赶走之外，没有什么能让我离开你。自从我受伤后重新加入球队以来，没有人比我更高兴了。先生，这不像主仆。你对待我就好像你是乡绅，我是你佃户的儿子一样，我们之间从来没有任何隔阂。你让我再次成为一个男人，我只希望我有更多的机会向你展示我的感受。”

“你有足够多的机会，并且你已经充分利用了它们。当我进入那所房子时，你就在我身边，那里有二十名绝望的叛乱分子，如果没有援助到来，我们的处境将会很艰难。当我被叛军骑兵冲锋击倒时，你站在我身边，受了六处伤口，然后骠骑兵横扫而下，将他们击退。”

“先生，我为此得到了丰厚的报酬。”那人微笑着说道。

“是的，你获得了维多利亚十字勋章，没有人比他更公平地赢得了它。但是，莱希米尔，你的感情毕竟不是通过这些事情来表达的，而是通过你持续而忠实的服务，以及你对我的照顾。不过，正如我之前告诉过你的，我不喜欢妨碍你。按照自然规律，你会拥有你父亲的农场，现在你没有理由不回到那里。”

“不，先生。既然听说那个可怜的女孩回家死了，我没有理由不回到老地方，但我不喜欢。我们两年的这种生活不适合干农活。当我去当兵时，鲍勃弟兄停下来代替我，即使我愿意回去（我不愿意），但让我介入，就像什么都没发生一样，对他来说是不公平的。但无论如何，我会很高兴再次回到老地方并见到他们所有人。爸爸和妈妈现在就会知道他们对我的怀疑是错误的。但他们不应该受到责备。尽管我当时很生气，但如果有机会的话，我可能会这样做。”

“好吧，莱赫米尔，你很清楚，只要你愿意留下来，我会一直很高兴有你在我身边。也许有一天，您希望为自己建造一个家，并且您可以确定，空置的庄园中的第一个农场将属于您，或者，由于这种情况并不经常发生，我会看到您在附近找个好的。”

那人摇摇头，没有回答，继续打开他主人的手提包。他们住在考文特花园的胡姆斯酒店，半小时前从马赛经陆路乘晚班火车到达。

两年的当兵经历极大地改变了乔治·莱希米尔。他已经摆脱了犁过的田地所带来的沉重步伐，是一名装备精良、警觉且看上去聪明的士兵。尽管现在穿着便装——因为他的主人在他提交自己的文件时就让他退出了服役——但没有人能避免看到他已经服役过，因为除了军车之外，还有两道深深的伤疤。他脸上的图案是叛变者手上的军刀，那天他站在被叛军马匹包围的主人身边。他的肤色被太阳晒成深古铜色，眼睛里有一种稳定但警惕的表情，这是经历过长期而危险的服役的人所特有的。

“我将在城里待两三天，”马利特少校说。 “在我坠落之前，我必须进行一次彻底的改装。明天你最好和我一起去裁缝店，早餐后的第一件事就是。你也会想要三四套西装。”

“是的先生。此外，他们还想知道你什么时候回家。他们肯定想热烈欢迎你。”

“还有你，莱赫米尔。我相信你所有的老朋友都会像我一样热烈欢迎你。确实，这应该更令人心旷神怡，因为你一生都生活在他们中间，而我从小就大部分时间都在外面。”

四天后，他们前往奇彭纳姆。火车进站时，乘务员诺顿先生正在站台上。

“欢迎再次回家，先生。”当弗兰克走下马车时，他热情地说。 “事实上，当我们听说你安全回来并来到我们中间时，我们都很高兴。”

“我很高兴再次回来，诺顿，”弗兰克·马利特说；当他握着那人的手时。 “我们热情地工作了一段时间，但最后，当兴奋结束时，人们感到非常厌倦。

“我是乔治·莱希米尔，诺顿，”少校一边说，一边和特工一起走到乔治拿着一堆行李的地方。 “你听说过他表现得多么英勇，以及他如何冒着生命危险救了我的命。”

“你好吗，乔治？”经纪人边与他握手边说道。 “我根本就不应该认识你。事实上，我确信如果我在街上遇见你，我就不应该这样做。你好像长高了，整个人都变了。”

“诺顿先生，我的肉少了一些，而且我已经学会了直立，我还需要一段时间才能摆脱太阳给我的这种油漆。”

“是的，你的皮肤像浆果一样棕色，乔治。我们在公报上看到你因拯救乡绅的生命而获得维多利亚十字勋章。我可以告诉你，庄园里的每个人都为你感到骄傲。

“您准备好出发了吗，先生？”

“是的。我猜你已经把狗推车放在外面了，正如我问你的那样？”

“嗯，不，先生，”特工语气有些尴尬地说。 “你看，房客们已经决定你应该以不同的方式来，所以没有问我，他们就吩咐了一辆敞篷马车来接你。直到昨晚我才知道这件事。狗车来了，会来接你的行李。”

“好吧，我想这也是没办法的事，”马利特笑道。 “当然，他们是出于好意。”

“我会看到行李被装进狗车，然后带着它过来，”莱赫米尔说。

“乔治，你可以把它放进狗车里，但你必须跟我一起去。我必须忍受，你也必须忍受。”

他站在站台上和诺顿先生聊天，直到乔治回来，乔治说行李已经收拾好了，狗车已经在前面走了。他脸上露出一种有趣的表情，这可以解释为什么马利特出门时发现一辆敞篷马车，上面有四匹马，车上的马车穿着新的紫色丝绸夹克，戴着橙色帽子，马头上有相同颜色的大玫瑰花结。 。

“保佑我吧，”少校语气沮丧地说。 “我会感觉自己好像是该县的候选人。”

“你看，它们是家族的颜色，先生。”

“是的，我知道，诺顿，还有保守党的颜色。好吧，这也是没办法的事，而且毕竟没有多大区别。

“诺顿，我希望我到达那里时不会有什么大惊小怪，”他在就座时继续说道，莱赫米尔爬到了后面的座位上。

“好吧，先生，”特工抱歉地说，“有一两个拱门。你看，房客们想把事情做好，学童们会在草坪上，晚上会有一些篝火，他们从伦敦带来了一大箱烟花。哎呀，先生，在经历了这一切、受过三重伤、获得如此多的荣誉之后，如果他们不欢迎你，那就奇怪了。为什么，这不会是英语，先生。”

“我想这没什么问题，”马利特无奈地说。 “事实上，诺顿，看到自己的房客高兴地再次拥有一个家，人们会情不自禁地感到高兴。”

半个小时的车程，他们就到达了庄园的边界。这里已经竖起一座拱门，二十个佃户和佃户的儿子聚集在马背上，当马车驶来时发出大声欢呼，当马车渐渐消失时，有人喊道：

“哎呀，后面那个人是乔治·莱赫米尔。也给他加油吧！”又是一阵欢呼声。

马车停了下来，马利特少校说了几句话，衷心感谢他们对他的欢迎，并向他们保证他很高兴再次回来。

“我还要感谢你们，”他总结道，“感谢你们给我忠实的同志和朋友乔治·莱赫米尔带来的欢呼。众所周知，他冒着生命危险救了我的命，并获得了军人所能获得的最高荣誉——维多利亚十字勋章。作为你们中的一员，你们完全有权利为他感到骄傲，并热烈欢迎他。”

马车又继续前行，农民紧随其后。在通往房子的车道入口处，竖起了另一个更大的拱门。其余的房客和妇女们都聚集在这里，马利特又进行了一次衷心的问候，并发表了另一场讲话。

然后他们开车到了那座房子，许多绅士聚集在那里欢迎他。与这些人握手交谈了一会儿后，弗兰克在房客中转了一圈，对每个人说了几句话。当他做完这件事后，他邀请他们所有人在一周的那天在草坪上吃晚饭，然后走进房子，管家已经在那里准备了饭菜。

在这些熟悉的面孔中，弗兰克想念那些他最想见到的人。一年前，他收到了格林代尔夫人的一封信，告诉他约翰爵士突然去世，并在开车时从乘务员那里得知她和她的女儿在伦敦。

“他们一个月前去了那里，”他说。 “约翰爵士去世一年后，人们说他们不太可能在一段时间内再次在家。先生，您知道，格林代尔夫人在伦敦有很高的人脉。”

“是的，她是诺顿亨廷格伦勋爵的女儿。”

“是的先生。他们总是去城里过节。他们说格林代尔夫人更喜欢伦敦胜过乡村。现在伯莎小姐已经出庭了——因为她两周前才出庭——人们认为他们目前在格林代尔不会有太大的失落。”

“格林代尔小姐长大了吗？我以为她会的，但是，当然，当我离开时，她只是一个女孩，还没有完全发育。”

“她是一位美丽的年轻女士，先生。大家都说她是县里的美女。人们认为她会成为一场伟大的比赛。她也很受欢迎。她和蔼可亲，没有一点骄傲，而且非常有活力；而且，我应该说，充满了乐趣，尽管这个地方去年已经关闭得很好了。约翰爵士去世后的四个月里，他们出去旅行，只在家呆了几个星期，然后前几天就去了伦敦，赶上了第一间客厅。”

“我想我们暂时不会经常见到你，马利特？”他的一位朋友在吃午饭时说道。

“不，我想我暂时无法安定下来。在我度过了这一生之后，我担心我会发现我的时间很紧，独自一人在这里。”

“你必须带一个妻子回家，马利特少校，”其中一位女士说道。

“赫伯特夫人，这真是展望了黯淡的未来，”他笑着说。 “你看，自从我第一次服役以来，我就完全远离了女性的吸引力。当然，我一直在考虑，但目前我的兴趣转向游艇。我一直很喜欢水，小时候就曾有过出海的强烈愿望，但这个愿望并没有得到实现。不过，我现在可以随心所欲了。我不在期间，诺顿一直在为我攒钱，我可以买一艘豪华的大型游艇。当然我不会着急。我要么建造要么买一艘更大的船，夏天用来比赛，冬天用来巡航。”

“这意味着你根本不会在这里，马利特少校。”

“哦，不，我可以向你保证，这不是这个意思。我每年都会一个月跑三到四次；比如说九月或十月的射击，一两个月后的狩猎；此外，我还必须重新认识我的房客，确保一切顺利进行。我预计每年我都会在庄园里度过四五个月的时间。”

“直到你永远安定下来？”

“是的，直到我永远安定下来，”他笑道。 “我想总有一天会的。”

“那么你不想在伦敦度过太多时间，马利特？”

“不，确实如此。幸运的是，我父亲三年前卖掉了他的联排别墅。他并不在乎上去，当然对我来说也没什么用。我从来没有任何接触社会的机会，我现在的想法是，这会让我感到非常无聊。但我敢说这个赛季我会在那里待一个月左右。

“当然，有我的俱乐部可以去，还有很多我认识的人；但即使我对社会有向往，在所谓的时尚圈子里我也不认识任何人，所以应该在所谓的世界之外。”

“噢，你很快就会克服这个问题的，马利特少校。为什么，格林代尔夫人会到处介绍你。”

“我不太可能麻烦她这么做，”马利特回答道。

弗兰克告诉乔治·莱赫米尔，他们一到，他就可以立即去见他的父母。

“想呆多久就呆多久，”他说。 “几天没有你，我也会过得很好。”

“先生，今晚我会再过来，早上会帮你刷好东西，准备好洗澡。如果我不这样做，我会感到不舒服。然后早餐后，如果你不需要我，我可以去农场几个小时。当然，我有很多关于印度的事情要告诉老人。但手头没有工作，我不知道该做什么来打发时间。”

“哦，乔治，你的老朋友们会来找你的。服役两年以上后，您有权享受一个月的休假。由于你手里有六个月的电池，除了你的积蓄之外，你还有足够的现金可以继续使用；但当你想要钱时，你知道你只需要跟我说话。”

“我有一点好，先生。自从我加入以来，我几乎没有花过一分钱，两年里已经存下了一笔可观的钱。此外，我们都有所收获。大多数土著酋长和他们的追随者都拥有金钱或珠宝，而我们所有人都得到了一些东西；一些好的奖品。无论如何，我在这两年的当兵中赚到的钱，与我在两年务农中赚到的钱一样多，甚至更多。但如果我的口袋里没有超过几先令，我应该在这里过得很好，因为我没有机会和我所有的朋友一起花任何钱，让我去看他们并告诉他们我们的所作所为。

“乔治，家里发生的一切都令人满意吗？”

“是的，先生，一切都好。鲍勃给我父亲带来了很大的帮助。我确信当他有机会时他会做得很好。当然，只要我在那里，他就没有太多责任，但我当时就看到他会成为一名好农民。事情和我在家时一样顺利。”

“你现在要去那里吗？”

“无论如何，要等到早餐后，先生。我告诉他们我可能会在早上某个时间过来看看，但我不能说你们是否需要我做任何事。”

“不，我根本不需要你，乔治。我昨天就告诉过你了。不过，早餐后我会和你一起步行去农场。我昨天才和你父亲聊了几句话，但我告诉他我今天会过来看看他们。”

因此，在与经纪人一个小时的交谈后，弗兰克·马利特和乔治一起走到了农场。后者的父亲和母亲都在家里，这对于前者来说在一天中的那个时候是一件不寻常的事情，但他在早餐时对儿子说：

“今天的事情你必须自己处理，小伙子。乡绅昨天说他有一天会过来，他来的时候我不会出去，哪怕是为了一张二十英镑的钞票。”

当他和妻子走到门口时，他们看到弗兰克穿过田野朝房子走来。

“好吧，莱赫米尔，”当他走上来时，后者说道。 “我很高兴看到你和你的夫人看起来如此健康和热情。昨天我没有时间和你们多说一句话，我想和你们聊聊。我给你写了一封信，告诉你乔治表现得多么英勇，以及他如何救了我的命；但我必须第二天再写，而我的头仍然因为刀伤而嗡嗡作响，那次刀伤一度使我失去了所有的知觉，因此我不得不把它剪得很短。他获得了维多利亚十字勋章，这一事实表明了他是多么英勇地保卫了我的生命，抵御了十几名敌人的骑兵，我可以告诉你，在叛变期间，乔治表现出了如此多的勇敢行为，乔治一定被认为是一个非凡的人。他的勇敢行为让他获得了这一荣誉。”

这时，他们已经进入了农家客厅。乔治没有跟着他们进去，但在询问他在哪里可以找到鲍勃后，就去和他会合了。

“当时我很自豪听到这个消息，乡绅；当报纸上报道我们的乔治获得了维多利亚十字勋章，所有的邻居都来祝贺我们时，我们感到更加自豪。直到我们收到你的信时，我们还不确定他在哪里。他曾说过他打算入伍，从他离开时的幽默感来看，我们猜测他是在某个可以参加战争的团。正如你可能猜到的那样，我们感到更加高兴，因为我和夫人都在我们的想法中冤枉了他。我们在得到消息之前就知道了这一点，直到我们知道自己错了之后，我们才开口谈论这件事，尽管我们每个人都知道对方的想法。”

“我知道你的意思，莱赫米尔。他把这一切都告诉了我。”

“好吧，乡绅，你可以肯定，当我们知道我们冤枉了他时，我和妻子多么担心我们不知道该写信给哪里，也不知道如何着手找出他在哪里，所以你可以猜猜看，当我们从你那里得知他在你的团里，并且他冒着生命危险救了你的命时，我们有多高兴。

“乡绅，我们当时并不知道，如果他有二十条命，他为你冒着全部生命危险的做法是对的。昨天他把整个故事告诉了我们——只告诉了妈妈、我和鲍勃。我还不能告诉你，乡绅，我们对此的想法。我不知道我是否能够告诉你，我们将永远感谢上帝救了乔治，使他免于成为一个疯狂的凶手——一个谋杀我们自己乡绅的凶手——并祝福你，少校，你不仅应该原谅他，不让所有人知道他的罪行，而且应该像他所说的那样，把他抓在手里，就好像这件事从未发生过一样。”

“他没有机会对此说任何话，莱赫米尔。毫无疑问，他当时或多或少有些生气。总的来说，我认为这件事让他成为了一个更好的人。在他救了我的命之前，他很好地履行了作为一名士兵的职责，是我最忠实的仆人，但是这件事的重担沉重地压在他身上，尽管我只能说他坚持自己的立场尽可能远离他的同志；但从那以后他就完全变了。正如他告诉我的那样，他感到，如果上帝不宽恕他，上帝就不会给他这个机会来拯救他差点夺走的生命，他的精神振奋起来，而在此之前，他在同志中肯定不受欢迎——他从来都不是一个矜持的人——他成了普遍的宠儿。

“当然，在他所做的事情之后，官员们对他表现出了很大的兴趣。他本可以在一个月内成为一名中士，但在战斗结束后的第二天，当有人向他提供下士军衔时，他拒绝了，并说他更愿意留在我身边，尽管上校告诉他，在他获得了这些勋章之后完成后，服役两三年后，他很有可能晋升为中士。他告诉我，他知道他的嫉妒心给你带来了某种麻烦；但我相信他再也不会那样让你担心了。我相信他现在已经完全掌握了自己，即使是犯下如此严重错误的人也不必害怕他。”

“先生，你听说那个可怜的女孩回家后就死了？”

“是的。他是在听到你的消息后才告诉我的。”

“她从未说过是谁干的，先生，但从其他事情来看，毫无疑问是谁干的。”

“莱赫米尔，他告诉了我，但我立刻阻止了他。我不想知道。我有怀疑，但我不想证实它们。我怀疑这个人不是我的朋友，我也不想了解他的任何事情。如果我确定这一点，我就不能在不告诉他我对他的看法的情况下见到他。”

“你不太可能在这里遇见他，乡绅。一年前的一个集市日，他碰巧在奇彭纳姆。我们那里有十几个人，我可以告诉你，我们对他的接待非常热情，他骑上马又径直向前走去。如果他不这样做，我相信我们应该用马鞭打他穿过城镇。三个月后，他的庄园被出售，此后他再也没有去过这个国家的这个地区。并不是说他以前来过这里。伦敦更适合他。你看，据我所知，他的母亲是一位银行家的女儿，也是独生子。即使他没有财产，他也会成为一个富人。不管怎么说，他离开了县城，我心里还是很高兴的。”

“我也很高兴他走了，莱赫米尔。我已经很多年没有见到他了，但如果我们都在这里，我们一定有时会互相竞争，而且在几年前我们之间发生了一些事情之后，我们几乎不可能以友好的方式见面。然而，由于除了对他的怀疑之外，没有任何其他证据，因此他在本案中可能是无辜的。你看，我自己也受到了不公正的怀疑，同样的情况也可能发生在他身上。”

“是这样的，乡绅；虽然我不认为这次有什么错误。事实上，我相信她告诉了她的母亲，尽管她没有告诉她的父亲，因为担心他会违法。无论如何，他走了是件好事；因为他是个严厉的地主，他的佃户中没有人对他说好话。”

“这使得出错的可能性更大，”弗兰克说。 “据我所知，作为一名房东，如果我没有理由不喜欢我的房客，那么我就被怀疑是不公正的；对于一个普遍不受欢迎的人来说，这种情况更可能发生。

“现在，自从我离开后，农场怎么样了？”

“和往常一样，乡绅。鲍勃不像乔治那样善于判断马和牛，但在其他方面我认为他知道得更多。乔治不喜欢读书，而鲍勃则总是在看报纸，了解这些科学小伙子最新发现的东西。所以事情就很顺利了。总而言之，我没有权利抱怨，乡绅，我也不太可能在租赁日要求时间。只要这件事还困扰着乔治，我们就非常担心他。但自从事情弄清楚之后，我们又听说他救了你的命，我们又高兴了。然而，昨天当我们听到外面发生的事情时，我们感到非常震惊。”

“好吧，那都是过去的事情了，我们没有理由后悔。这件事给乔治带来了很大的好处，而对于我来说，如果这件事没有发生，我现在可能不会在这里和你说话，因为正是对那件事的记忆导致乔治采取了绝望的行动，拯救了我的生命。此外，你看，它为我赢得了一个忠诚而忠诚的朋友，因为我对待你的儿子是作为朋友而不是仆人。”

“我确信他永远都是那样，乡绅。他告诉我们，你曾提出让他在一个农场安顿下来，但他拒绝了，这是完全正确的。我并不是说如果是其他人，他的母亲和我可能不会因为我们的大男孩应该去服役而感到非常痛苦；但是，乡绅，你的情况当然不同。莱赫米尔人为马利特人服务是很自然的，因为数百年来我们的祖先一直是你们祖先的佃户，所以即使这一切没有发生，我们也不应该介意。事实上，我们为他和你们在一起而感到自豪；很自然地，在世界各地流浪并与那里的那些黑色恶棍战斗之后，他永远不会满足于像以前那样继续下去，或者安定下来从事农业。

“在这种情况下，就像人与主人一样，”马利特笑道。 “等我巡视完庄园，见过所有的房客，得知大家都很满意，一切进展顺利之后，我很快就会开始焦躁不安，要逃到某个地方去。你看，我从来没有闯过乡村生活。我不知道要成为一名缺席者；但我认为在一起一两个月就已经是我能忍受的了，无论如何，只要我是单身汉。”

“这正是我所说的，乡绅，”农夫的妻子第一次开口说道，因为在谈话的第一部分，她一直在小声哭泣，此后一直忙于放置醒酒器、玻璃杯和酒杯。桌子上摆着巨大的自制蛋糕。 “我们都希望你早日带个情妇回家。我今天早上才说过，除非你安定下来，否则你永远不会安定下来。

“现在，乡绅，请您喝一杯酒，吃一块蛋糕吗？”

“谢谢你，莱赫米尔夫人，我会的；尤其是小菜一碟。当我还是个孩子的时候，我在这里吃过很多很多的东西，而且它一直都是出了名的美味。”

马利特少校吃了两大块蛋糕，喝了一杯酒，拒绝了第二杯，起身要走，说道：

” “不，莱赫米尔夫人；我现在不能再请自己喝一杯了。在返回吃午饭之前，我会去四、五家其他房子，我知道托盘会放在各处的桌子上。可以说我在这里吃过太多的蛋糕了，不能再吃更多了。但我知道我必须在每个地方喝一杯酒，而且我可以向你保证，我不习惯早上喝醉。

“啊，你的两个儿子从田野那边过来了。我会在门口迎接他们。如果我今天开始与鲍勃进行定期谈话，那么早上就过去了。”

“乔治发生了惊人的变化，”当他们陪他到门口时，莱奇米尔夫人说道。 “虽然他的皮肤几乎像那块蛋糕一样棕色，但重要的不是他的脸，而是他的身材。如果他没有和鲍勃一起来，我就不会认识他。他走路的方式完全不同。”

“这是钻探，莱希米尔夫人。是的，大量的训练对一个人来说是很奇妙的。而且衣服的剪裁也有很多讲究。你看，材质上没有太大区别，但乔治的衣服是在伦敦一家好的裁缝店做的，我想鲍勃的衣服是在这里做的。”

马利特在门口和鲍勃聊了几分钟，然后说他进城之前肯定会再来，开始一轮电话拜访。

“所以你买了一艘游艇，马利特少校？”

“是的;至少她还不是一艘游艇。我本来打算建造一座，但我听说有一座是哈弗斯托克勋爵订购的，据说，哈弗斯托克勋爵在德比中受到了如此严重的打击，以至于他不得不告诉建筑商万希尔，他不能带她去。由于季节已经很晚了，这个男人很高兴能以便宜的价格卖给她，尤其是他已经向她讨价还价了一千英镑。所以我以哈弗斯托克应支付的价格少一千二百元的价格买下了她。这对我来说非常合适，因为他承诺在六周内完成她的工作。她的大小正好是我想要的，重 120 吨，看起来她很快就会出来，而且是一艘很好的海船。当然，明年我会和她一起比赛，尽管我已经给她买了更多用于巡航的东西。

“我希望你和格林代尔女士能在季节结束后的第一次航行中支持我与你们的陪伴。我知道在那之前问是没有用的。”

“我非常喜欢它，马利特少校。这将是令人愉快的。你能带多少个？”

“八个舒服。女士舱有四个泊位，但真正舒适的只有三个泊位；还有另外四间特等舱——也就是说，除了我的舱房之外还有三间，但其中一间有两个铺位。当然，我可以在沙龙里安排另外三四个人待几天，但对于三周或一个月的航行来说，人数太多了，不舒服。我们无法在不拥挤的情况下坐在餐桌上，而且我怀疑烹饪安排是否完全令人满意。

“当然，我们还需要两名女士。我将把这些选择留给你和格林代尔夫人，因为除了你们自己，我不认识任何女士；不过，当然，我可以招募到很多人手。”

“那会很令人高兴的，”伯莎说。 “但我敢说，当赛季结束时，你会认识很多可以询问的女士。你看，你现在在这里认识的人太多了，你刚才还不满地抱怨着，几乎每天晚上都在外面。”

“是的，”他笑道。 “现在，你看，我更像是一头印度狮子；但一旦游艇浮出水面，我就会告别伦敦。”

“她叫什么名字？”

“我还没有考虑过。我前两天才买了她。在我看来，给一艘游艇起一个名字几乎和给赛马起一个名字一样困难。”

“哦！有很多适合游艇的漂亮名字。”

“是的;但如果你知道有多少艘游艇的名字各不相同，你会感到惊讶。”

“应该是水鸟。”女孩说。

“这些只是最常被使用的名字。”

“是的;不过海鸟、水鸟还有很多，只是我想不起来。”

“好吧，你看看他们，”他笑道。 “这是我在来这里的路上买的亨特游艇清单。我会把它留给你，你给她起的任何名字都可以。只是，请选择只有两三艘船以及大小不等的船的一艘。如果有两艘具有相同名称和大致相同尺寸的飞船，就会导致混乱。但我警告你，这将涉及你必须去普尔为她洗礼。”

“马利特少校，他们给游艇命名吗？”

“我真的对此一无所知，”他回答道。 “但如果这对于船舶来说是正确和适当的，那么它也一定适用于游艇；我应该认为这个仪式可能会给她带来好运。到时候我会根据你的安排安排时间。”

“马利特少校，如果妈妈同意的话，我会尽力下来；但去普尔的路很远，不知怎么的，人们似乎从来没有时间做任何事。所以我真的无法保证。”

“好吧，如果你做不到，格林代尔小姐，我会在不透露姓名的情况下让她下水，把她带到南安普敦，然后你可以在那里给她洗礼。那只需要早餐后几个小时的短途火车运行，比如说，两个小时在那里吃午饭，看看她，然后你就可以在下午四点钟到家。”

“这似乎更实用。”

马利特船长已经在城里呆了三个星期了。他来的第二天就拜访了格林代尔夫人，受到了她和伯莎最热情的接待。后者在他离开的两年半时间里，已经从一个有些傻乎乎的、魅力仅在于眼神和笑容的女孩，成长为一个非常漂亮的女人。她的身高略高于中等，举止非常得体。她的脸是明亮而阳光的，但她的眼睛没有改变，表情里有一种认真，嘴唇上有某种坚定的弧度，使她脸上笑起来的光彩更加鲜明。社会热情地接待了她，因此她对社会感到满意。无论是为了她自己，还是作为一位女继承人，她都被选中了，虽然她进城才两个月，但她已经成为了本季公认的美女之一。

马利特少校打来电话的那天，格林代尔夫人举办了一场晚宴，她正在与伯莎讨论可以邀请谁来填补出现的空缺。

“弗兰克，你来得正是时候，”他们聊了一会儿之后，她说道。 “我们刚才正在感叹，今天早上我们收到了一位先生的来信，他今天要来和我们一起吃饭，说他不能来；但现在我认为这是最幸运的，因为我们当然希望你立即来找我们。我想你还没有做出任何约定。我们和你在一起就十六岁了，我认为他们都是好人。”

“我会很高兴来，”他说。 “我当然没有约会。昨晚我参观了俱乐部。这是我第一次出现在那里，因为我的名字在四个月前才参加竞选，如果不是碰巧遇到了两三个老朋友，我应该感到很不舒服。其中一位请我明天吃饭。今天我完全自由了。”

整个晚上，马利特少校收到了三四次舞会和舞会的邀请，从此开始了社交活动，很快每天晚上都会出去。第一周，他很享受这个新奇的场景，但很快就厌倦了。晚宴上，他带去的女士们总是想让他谈论印度。但在他看来，即使这样也比舞蹈的拥挤和激烈要好。

“男人怎么能继续过这样的生活，”他对俱乐部的一位朋友说，“完全让我困惑，上校。一年中有两三次，人们可能会想出去参加这些拥挤的舞会，只是为了看看裙子和女孩，但在我看来，夜复一夜地出去比在丛林中追捕叛乱分子更糟糕。它同样炎热，但令人兴奋的程度还不到百分之一。我只经历了三个星期，但我已经厌倦了。”

“那你到底为什么要接受，马利特？我小心翼翼地避免陷入其中。一个男人还能想要什么比这更好的呢？一顿精心烹制的晚餐，和朋友一起吃，然后安静地吃一顿橡胶；也许每两周左右我会出去参加一次晚宴，我很喜欢这种改变。冬天我总是有很多拍摄工作，通常会离开三个月，但我总是很高兴再次回来。”

“恐怕我应该厌倦俱乐部，就像厌倦社会一样，上校。”

“你有足够的时间，小伙子。我比你大二十岁。好吧，除了社交和俱乐部生活之外，你还有很多事情要做。当然，你会结婚，定居，当县长之类的。谢天谢地，我收到的钱是以土地的形式出现的，而不是以土地的形式出现的。乡村生活对我来说就是流放；但是，你看，你离开军队时比我年轻得多。我想你还不到三十吧？克里米亚和印度让你快速爬上树。”

“不，我才二十八岁。你知道我只是一名名誉少校，在获得全团多数席位之前，我还需要走两步。”

“这很重要，马利特；一个像你这样年纪的年轻人大声疾呼反对社会，这太荒谬了。”

“我不会大声反对，”马利特笑道。 “我只是说，这不属于我的底线，我从来没有被闯入过。我说的是购买一艘游艇，或者更确切地说是建造一艘游艇。”

“你想要什么尺寸？如果你正在考虑一艘好的大型工艺品，我知道有一个很便宜。”

就这样，马利特听到了普尔的风声。

“我已经盯上鱼鹰了，马利特少校，”贝莎·格林代尔在上次见到她两天后带她去吃晚饭时说道。 “你对那个有什么想法？同名的游艇有两三艘，但没有一艘超过三十吨。”

“我认为鱼鹰这个名字很漂亮，格林代尔小姐。如果你建议的话我应该接受鳄鱼。你所选择的名字将会非常适合；因此，从今往后，她将成为鱼鹰，等待您正式用这个名字命名她。当然，我可能会吹毛求疵地指出，虽然鱼鹰是一种渔鹰，但它几乎不能被称为水鸟，因为它不会游泳。”

“但即使提出这样的事情也太挑剔了，”她撅起嘴说道。 “鱼鹰与海洋有关。它的翅膀又强又快，游艇的帆就是翅膀，不是吗？那么它就坚强而勇敢，我相信你的船不会害怕遇到风暴。总而言之，我认为这是一个很棒的名字。”

“我认为这也是一个很好的名字。”

“你应该有一个作为你的傀儡。”

“游艇没有傀儡船首，否则我肯定会有它。无论如何，我会选择一只老鹰作为我的赛车旗帜。”

“我还没有坐过游艇，”女孩说。 “我想我只认识一个人，他有一个，至少是一个大的；那是卡修先生。你当然认识他；今年春天他有了一辆新车——幻影。这个赛季他已经赢了好几次了。”

“我看到他有，”弗兰克平静地说。 “是的，我以前认识他，不过我们已经认识七八年了。”

“而你不喜欢他，”她很快说道。

“格林代尔小姐，你为什么这么想？”

“哦，听你的语气我就知道了。”

“我认为这只是表达了冷漠，因为我已经很久没有见到他了。但我一直不太喜欢他。我想我们不是同一类人；然后，也许我也有相当的偏见，因为我知道他被认为是一个相当严厉的房东。”

“我从来没有听说过，”她说。

“不，我敢说你不会听到，但我想确实如此。然而，他卖掉了自己的财产，至少我是这么听说的。”

“是的，他告诉我他不喜欢乡村生活。自从我们进城以来，我见过他好几次。你知道，他养赛马。他的马在今年春天的德比赛中获得第二名。这让他离开了很多地方，否则人们会更频繁地见到他，因为他认识很多我们认识的人。”

“是的，我知道他参加比赛，而且我相信他在草坪上相当幸运。”

“你没有那样的倾向吗，马利特少校？”

“没有影子，”他认真地说。 “这是我应该犯的最后一个恶习。在服役期间，我见过很多年轻人因为赌盘而破产的案例。我们团里就发生过一个案例，一个人的牙皮被救了。幸运的是，他有足够的意志力和男子气概，足以完全解决这个问题，现在是一位非常有前途的年轻军官，但只有我们在为印度做事时登船这一事实才使他免于毁灭。

“下注超过其承受能力的人就是一个赌徒，无论他是在赛马上还是在纸牌上。我已经看够了，我从心底里讨厌赌博。与酒精相比，它导致更多的人退出服务，而其中一种激情几乎和另一种激情一样无法治愈。”

伯莎笑了。 “我想这是我第一次听到你表达非常强烈的意见，马利特少校。在伦敦听到对任何事情的彻底谴责都是令人耳目一新的。当然，在国内就不一样了。那里各种各样的东西都被尽情地滥用；也许尤其是天气、自由贸易、偷猎以及狐狸稀少的人。但在伦敦，似乎没有人关心任何事情。”

“你们圈子里的人没有时间这样做。”

“这太不仁慈了。他们考虑的是娱乐。”

“他们可能会思考这个问题，但一切都以一种非常慵懒的方式进行。现在，在一个乡村小镇，当附近有舞会或舞会时，那是相当热闹的；无论如何，每个人都热情地投入其中。人们显然是为了跳舞而跳舞，看上去都玩得很开心。而在这里，人们跳舞就好像这是一项相当痛苦的职责，而不是其他事情，而且普遍表达出渴望整件事结束的愿望。”

“我喜欢跳舞，”伯莎坚定地说。 “至少，当我找到一个非常好的合作伙伴时。”

“是的，但你只花了三个月的时间。你还没有进入这个行业。”

“你也没有，马利特少校。”

“不，但是当你是这件作品中的演员时，我只是一个旁观者，而旁观者，你知道，看到了比赛的大部分内容。”

“胡说些什么！不要假装你会成为一个无趣的人。我知道你只比我大十岁左右——我想不超过九岁——而且你跳舞跳得很好，毫无疑问你知道这一点。”

“我可以向你保证，我喜欢跳舞，只要有空间就可以跳舞；但当你跳舞的面积只有一平方英尺，并且比在拥挤的市长表演中受到更多的拥挤和碰撞时，我不称之为跳舞。我的训练不适合我，我宁愿站着看，听一些谈话，观察舞者和周围站着的人的脸。这是一项研究，我认为它展示了自然最糟糕的一面。看到和听到的嫉妒、无情、无聊，以及在困难下不顾一切地努力让自己看起来快乐，真是令人震惊，尤其是在那些没有伴侣的女孩中。”

“耻辱！我对你很失望。”伯莎半开玩笑半认真地说。 “你根本不是我想象中的那个人。无论我对你抱有怎样的幻想，我从来没有想象过你是一个愤世嫉俗者或爱发牢骚的人。”

“我想这也暴露了我本性中最糟糕的一面，”他笑着说。 “格林代尔小姐，当你登上鱼鹰号时，你就会看到另一边。我喜欢一个人融入周围环境的基调。在这里，我已经捕捉到了社会上无聊的人的语气，在那里，你会看到我将成为一个轻松的水手——无论在暴风雨中还是在平静中，我都快乐，准备好拿起我的杯子，为我的女儿干杯，以及其他一切。航海时尚。”

“我希望如此，”她严肃地说。 “我当然需要类似的东西来纠正你刚才给我的非常不利的印象。现在让我们换个话题。你还没告诉我你在印度有没有调情过。”

“调情！”他重复道。 “这一次，我遇到的一小部分女性超越了调情。

“我不认为，”他严肃地继续说道，“英国人无法完全意识到这是什么，或者伦敦社会的女性能够想象存在一种状态，在这种状态中，着装和外表是至关重要的。完全不再吸引女性的注意力。我在那里看到的白人妇女都疲惫不堪、憔悴不堪。无论年龄多大，他们的脸上都带着可怕的艰辛、可怕的危险、可怕的悲伤和焦虑。很少有人失去了他们所亲爱的人，许多人都是他们所关心的。少数人在整洁方面做了一些可怜的尝试，但大多数人已经失去了所有自我意识，完全不关心个人外表。他们的眼中流露出焦虑的神情，让人感到痛苦。”

“我不假思索地说了出来。”女孩严肃地说。 “正如你所说，那一定很糟糕——可怕。我们不可能真正想象出那是什么，或者想象出你一定亲眼目睹过的场景。我能理解，这一切在你看来一定是轻浮且可鄙的。”

“不，我不会走那么远，”他微笑着说。 “既有蜜蜂，也有蝴蝶，这是好事；无论如何，印度妇女与其他性别一样以轻浮好色而闻名，但她们却表现得很高贵，在苦难中表现出了一定程度的耐心和历史上无与伦比的英雄勇气。

“我担心，”当女主人示意女士们起身时，他说道，“你们很快就会觉得这顿晚宴是前所未有的乏味。”

“不是迟钝，”她微笑道。 “当然很特别，但与平常的事情截然不同，当一个人只谈论歌剧、剧院和展览时，值得在日记中记下记号。我不会告诉你红的还是黑的来奉承你。”

“马利特，聚会的对象是谁？”八月初，他的朋友塞文上校在他们一起站在鱼鹰号的甲板上时说道。 “在拍摄开始之前，你说服我离开伦敦，这是我退休以来第一次离开伦敦，你保证这将是一次愉快的经历。”

“嗯，首先是格林代尔夫人，一位非常令人愉快的女人。她作为一般监护人而来，我将把她视为您的特别照顾。你不会觉得这很辛苦，因为她是一位非常富有同情心的女人，如果你愿意说话，她愿意聊天，如果你不愿意，她会以其他方式引起她的兴趣。她有丰富的常识，对烟草很宽容，是一个彻头彻尾的女人，尽管她的总部多年来一直设在国内。和她一起的是她的女儿。”

“那么，她呢？我听说她这一季引起了很大的轰动，我俩都知道这个聚会是专门为她策划的。”

“在某种程度上也许是这样，”弗兰克·马利特笑着说。 “伯莎·格林代尔是我的老朋友。我认识她，她穿着很短的连衣裙，因为她们是我们乡下的邻居。她的父亲约翰爵士一直是我最友善的朋友之一。我去印度的时候，她是个不折不扣的女孩，虽然我以为她会很漂亮，但我当然没想到她会长得这么好看。她一直是一个好女孩，迄今为止的成功并没有宠坏她。

“还有辛克莱小姐，伯莎的好朋友；和卫兵队的杰克·霍利。我在克里米亚就认识他了。另外两个是威尔逊，他是一位聪明的年轻律师，也是一个特别令人愉快的人。和他的妻子，辛克莱小姐的妹妹；所以我认为这是一个愉快的聚会的要素。所有的女士们都抽烟了，因为约翰爵士抽烟，威尔逊也抽烟。这样，每当您想享受自己最喜欢的烟斗时，就不会像他们在 P 和 O 上那样要求您继续前进。”

“无论如何，这是一种安慰，马利特。如果世界上有一件事是我讨厌的，那就是必须去寻找一个可以抽烟的地方；除非我事先知道允许吸烟，否则我从不接受任何拍摄聚会的邀请。你预计其他人什么时候来？”

“他们会在十二点半下楼；他们都是乘坐同一趟火车来的，因为我知道你会想乘坐吸烟车厢，所以我才告诉你乘坐较早的车厢下来。而且，除此之外，我觉得最好先把你带到这里来。可以说，你是唯一的陌生人。其他人彼此关系都很亲密，发布你的帖子也比他们的各种关系好。”

“有一件事，马利特。我希望格林代尔夫人无论如何都不是一个已婚妇女。我不像匹克威克先生那样害怕寡妇，并且对自己抵御诱惑的能力充满信心；但与此同时，它也让世界变得更加舒适。我还没有蠢到认为格林代尔夫人会梦想片刻以半薪为上校戴上帽子，但如果一个女人在结婚线上，她总是期望一定程度的你可以称之为微妙的关注。这是她的日常面包，因为她认为，除非她遇到的每个男人都表现出一定程度的钦佩，否则就表明她的魅力正在减弱，她的机会也越来越渺茫。

马莱特笑了。 “你可以放心，因为没有什么比再婚更远离格林代尔夫人的想法了。她和她的丈夫在一起非常幸福。”

“她再次结婚的更多理由，”上校说。 “一个与丈夫相处得很幸福的女人很容易认为每个男人都会成为一个好丈夫；这是一个极其错误的想法。与那些经历过困难的女人相比，她再婚的可能性要大得多。”

“嗯，你可能是对的，上校，但抛开我确信格林代尔夫人没有再婚的想法不谈，事实上，目前她所有的心思都集中在她的女儿身上。她根本不是所谓的管家母亲，但我确信她一心希望伯莎能嫁得好，而且目前担心她会屈服于某个身无分文的小儿子或其他不合适的伴侣。她心中的主导感觉。我不认为她会同意杰克·霍利参加聚会，如果伯莎没有相信他对辛克莱小姐很感兴趣的话，顺便说一句，辛克莱小姐和她姐姐一样有足够的钱来无视杰克的事实。在这方面几乎没有什么天赋。

“不过，我也到了该离开的时候了；我看到船长正在放下平底艇。我想你会满足于坐在这里抽烟斗直到我们回来；事实上，七艘船能承载的数量是多少，无论舒适程度如何。快艇将上岸取走行李，行李的尺寸可能有些不祥。”

两分钟后，马利特在平底艇上就位，并被划到岸边。他对新买的东西感到很高兴。她是一艘出色的海船，而且正如他从与另一艘船的短暂旋转中了解到的那样，速度绝对很快。然而，他没有让她参加任何比赛。

“不着急，”当船长建议他们应该在考斯尝试她时，他对船长说道。 “我想赢得我的第一场比赛，但首先我们不知道她是否处于最佳状态。接下来，我们必须让船员们彼此熟悉并熟悉这艘飞船。我买她作为巡洋舰而不是赛车手，并且不想让她像大多数赛车手一样充满男人。这是一笔沉重的开支，而习惯于良好合作的人却很少，能比一群人做同样多的工作，而且更聪明。当我们参加皇家维多利亚帆船赛绕岛航行时，我们发现，考虑到我们在缩小的帆布下航行，我们非常公平地保持自己的立场；我毫不怀疑，当我们把所有的轻型画布都拉起来时，鱼鹰将会很好地展示自己。我们的装备还没有达到极限。

“不;我会等到下赛季，然后我们会大胆地争夺女王杯。”

弗兰克·马利特 (Frank Mallett) 在火车进站前几分钟到达了南安普敦的站台。一行人都在寻找他，并兴高采烈地下了车。

“现在，女士们，”他说，“第一件事就是指出行李。我这里的人会把所有东西都收拾好，并守卫它，直到另外两个人到达将它搬上船。他们几分钟后就会到这里。事实上，他们现在就应该在这里。”

当箱子被挑出来并堆在一起时，他带着一种沮丧的心情看着。

“亲爱的格林代尔女士，”他说，“恐怕你们对于一艘 120 吨级游艇的容纳量一定有非常模糊的想法。她不是冠达 (Cunard) 或 P and O。为什么，两三个这样的行李箱绝对可以装满她的一间小屋。

“马利特少校，你没想到，”伯莎严肃地说，“我们来参加为期一个月的航行，只带着手提包；尤其是在告诉我们很可能没有机会一直洗完衣服之后。”

“好吧，我敢说我们应该把它们藏在某个地方。现在，当你把它们都聚集在一起时，我们就下船去。

“现在，小伙子们，你们最好找一辆手推车，尽快把这些东西搬上车。”

“哪一个是鱼鹰？”当他们在船上就座时，艾米·辛克莱问伯莎。

伯莎一脸困惑地看着这群游艇。

“就是这样，”犹豫片刻后，她自信地说，指着船此刻正驶向的那艘船。

弗兰克·马利特笑了。

“格林代尔小姐，我真的应该想到，尽管充分考虑了女性对船的模糊性，但你应该知道一个月前你命名的游艇；或者，无论如何，在您上次访问时我对不同的钻井平台进行了耐心的解释之后，我不会将纵帆船误认为是偏航船。那是鱼鹰，在一百码以下。”

“哦，是的，我现在想起来了，当船尾立着一根小桅杆时，它就是偏航杆。马利特少校，这些事情对你来说似乎很简单，但对那些一无所知的女人们来说却很令人费解。现在，我冒昧地说，如果我向你展示六种不同材质的连衣裙，并告诉你它们的名字，那么当我一个月后向你展示它们时，你将对它们一无所知。

“我想船上的那位先生是塞文上校。”

“是的，他比你先乘火车下来。我认为他最好这样做，因为首先，他不认识你们中的任何一个人，而接下来，正如你所看到的，我们现在挤得很挤。”

“报头上的那面旗帜是什么？”格林代尔夫人问道。 “伯莎说你的旗帜上会有一只鹰。”

“这是我的赛车旗帜上的。女士们，让我给你们留下深刻的印象，赛车旗帜是方形旗帜，而那根本不是旗帜，而是三角旗。每个俱乐部都有自己的旗帜；正如你所看到的，那是一个蓝底白十字，中间有一顶王冠，它是皇家泰晤士河的三角旗，我上个月被选为皇家泰晤士河的成员。

“我们到了。按理说，我应该先上船，但我太陷进去了。你和威尔逊最好先上去；这将为女士们提供更多活动空间。”

“你有了新的步骤，”伯莎说。 “当我和威尔逊夫人一起为这艘船命名时，我们不得不爬上靠着船边的令人讨厌的陡峭台阶。这样就舒服多了。我在想，如果其他事情真的很艰难的话，妈妈会很难起床。”

“是的，我特意为这次场合制作了它们。大型巡洋舰总是配备它们，而且无论如何，它们对于任何尺寸的船只来说都更舒适。但它们占用了相当多的存放空间，而且它们在海上确实不太方便，因为船不能靠得那么近。尽管如此，毫无疑问它们对女士来说更舒服。现在轮到你了。”

鱼鹰号的巡航从各方面来说都是成功的。这次聚会是精心挑选的并且令人愉快。塞文上校和格林代尔夫人相处得很好。他喜欢她，因为她对他永远享受烟斗没有任何异议。她喜欢他，因为他与她以前见过的任何人都完全不同；她喜欢他。他的印度故事让她觉得很有趣，他对生活的看法很新颖，他对现代方式和现代创新的抱怨丝毫没有掩盖这样一个事实：尽管如此，他显然非常享受生活。

鱼鹰号天气晴朗，她沿着南海岸行驶，在波特兰下锚泊了一天，同时一行人检查了防波堤的工作情况，并参观了囚犯正在工作的采石场。她经过托基、达特茅斯和普利茅斯，在这两个以前的港口和最后提到的两个港口呆了一天。他们考察了福伊，在法尔茅斯停留了两天，然后绕过天涯海角，前往金斯敦。他们从这里出发前往克莱德河。但遇到了非常恶劣的天气，进入了贝尔法斯特湖。

事实证明，鱼鹰号是一艘优秀的海船，表现非常出色，甚至连格林代尔夫人也宣称，无论天气如何，她都不会害怕在船上。他们沿克莱德河航行至格里诺克，然后返回，在西海岸的岛屿之间巡航了两周。他们在金斯敦度过了非常愉快的时光，因此在回程时再次停泊在那里，确定了前往普利茅斯的航线，然后没有考虑任何其他港口，就返回了南安普敦。

杰克·霍利和辛克莱小姐在航行期间订婚了，格林代尔上校和夫人变得如此保密，以至于弗兰克笑着问他是否改变了对婚姻问题的看法，他愤怒地否认了这一建议。

“我应该以为你更了解我，”他责备地说。 “我承认格林代尔夫人是一位非常迷人的女人，但你不认为她能想象​​我曾经对这样的事情抱过任何想法吗？你说如果可以的话我会逗她开心。我已经尽量不让老太太独处了，以便让你们这些年轻人可以尽情地调情。天哪，先生，如果我按照您的指示去做，却发现自己陷入了这样的困境，那将是一个很好的回报。”

弗兰克费了好大劲才说服上校，让他相信他的话并不是严肃的，格林代尔夫人根本不用担心他有丝毫理由认为他的意图不是最柏拉图式的。

“我非常高兴，”上校平静下来后说道，“霍利的事情已经顺利解决了。即使她不是女继承人，我也应该说他是一个幸运的人，因为她是一个非常友善和令人愉快的年轻女子，没有任何废话；毫无疑问，她的财富对霍利来说会派上用场。至于女孩本身，我认为她做出了一个非常好的选择。她有足够的钱养活这两个人，而且他已经设法跟上小儿子的那部分，他不会有奢侈的品味，并且会让她成为一个很好的丈夫。我想没有其他订婚消息要宣布吧？”

“由于我是船上唯一的未婚男子，上校，你的问题有点尖锐。不;我希望可能会有这么一天，但我认为在这里问她是不公平的，我是她的主人，而她却在大海的魅力之下。我怀疑她是否知道我想要什么。这是作为老朋友最糟糕的事情。这种关系变得如此固定，以至于女人不认识到它们是可以改变的。不过，有一天我会碰碰运气。如果伯莎喜欢我，我不认为我会遇到她母亲方面的任何严重反对，但我知道格林代尔夫人对她有更雄心勃勃的想法，并且已经下定决心要与她进行良好的匹配。毫无疑问，她有权利期望自己会这样做。然而，我认为她太喜欢伯莎了，无法阻止她，无论她感到多么失望。目前我认为她并不比伯莎本人更怀疑我的意图。”

在航行期间，伯莎和艾米·辛克莱尔已经成为相当熟练的女舵手，当风微弱时，其中一人会一直在舵手旁。伯莎已经记住了所有船员的名字，并且经常上前向负责前帆的人询问问题，成为了所有船员的最爱。抵达南安普敦后，其余的人立即进城，而弗兰克则留下了一两天，乘游艇前往戈斯波特，她将在那里过夜过冬。

“我很抱歉，”伯莎·格林代尔说，“非常抱歉。我不知道你这么想我。我们很久以前就是这样的朋友，去年你回家以来真是太愉快了，我喜欢你，就像你是一个大哥哥一样；但我从来没有从其他角度想过你，现在我觉得让你痛苦是可怕的；但我确信我永远不应该以这种方式爱你。”

她泪流满面。

“亲爱的，别再多想了，”弗兰克·马利特温柔地说。 “有时候，当我们在一起时，我觉得你对我是如此友善、坦率和愉快，以至于你能感受到我想要的感觉。我早该知道的。但我想在这种情况下，一个人会欺骗自己，对事实视而不见。你当然没有什么可责怪自己的。当然，这是一个沉重的打击，但毫无疑问我会像其他人一样克服它。无论如何，我知道我们将永远是亲爱的朋友，你不必担心我会为自己的不幸而忧郁。我会跑到城里去一会儿，当你下周就要去参加赛季时，我无疑会经常见到你。别为我担心。我曾多次遭受过相当严重的打击，尽管方式不同，但我一直都经历过，毫无疑问，我现在也会这样做。

“再见。”当伯莎抬起头时，他已经离开了房间。

“哦，妈妈，”当她走进母亲坐着的房间时，她说，“我很抱歉，非常抱歉。弗兰克·马利特邀请我成为他的妻子。我从来没有想过这样的事，当然我不得不说不。”

“伯莎，我已经认为这种事情可能有一段时间了，但我认为最好对此保持沉默。在这些事情上，母亲的干预往往弊大于利。从你对待他的态度来看，我确信你对此一无所知。我必须说，尽管我很喜欢弗兰克·马利特，但我应该感到抱歉。我非常希望你们能打出一场真正一流的比赛。”

“我无法做出更好的匹配，”伯莎愤怒地说。 “没有人比马利特少校更仁慈和友善，我们知道他是多么勇敢，他是如何出类拔萃的，而且他拥有良好的财产和任何人都想要的一切；只是不幸的是我不爱他——至少不是以那种方式。他从来没有向我展示过我应该特别注意什么，也从来没有像男人和女孩做爱时那样跟我说话。没有什么比这更好的了，这一切都更好，因为我从来没有想到过这一点。我想这是因为他与我上赛季在城里遇到的一些人非常不同，他们似乎总是试图绕过我。不，我知道这不是一个好表达，妈妈，但你知道我的意思。”

“我知道，亲爱的，”她妈妈微笑着说。 “当然，你们是非常般配的，虽然我不想恭维你，但你是本季的美女之一。虽然你所说的一些男人绝不是令人向往的——小儿子和大律师之类的——但仍然有两三个人是任何女孩都会高兴地看到在她脚下的，而且我确信他们据我所知，只需要你一点点鼓励就可以到达那里。我有点恼火，亲爱的，你看，你没有给他们任何一个鼓励；但我当然知道，你第一季的新奇感完全让你着迷。你喜欢舞蹈、节日和歌剧本身，而不是因为它们让你接触到了优秀的人士。就我看来，无论这个人是一个拥有大量房租的贵族，还是一个身无分文的小儿子，对你来说都是无关紧要的，因此他是一个优秀的舞者和一个令人愉快的伴侣;但当然，一两个赛季之后你就会变得更聪明。”

“我希望不会，妈妈，”伯莎愤怒地说。 “我的意思并不是说，正如你所说，在其他条件相同的情况下，嫁给一个租金丰厚的同龄人可能比嫁给一个身无分文的小儿子更好。也就是说，如果一个人同样喜欢他们；但我希望我永远不会因为成为同伴而更喜欢任何人。”

格林代尔夫人宽容地微笑着。

“亲爱的，对于像你这样年纪、缺乏经验的女孩来说，这是一种自然的情感；但随着时间的推移，你会以不同的眼光看待事物。”

然后她改变了话题。 “弗兰克要做什么？幸运的是，我们下周就要进城了。”

“他明天就要亲自进城，我相信你永远不会从他或其他任何人那里听到发生了什么事。我们会像往常一样在城里见面，我相信他会和以前一样，而我会比他更不舒服。我认为这完全是一件非常愚蠢的事情。如果这件事没有发生，我愿意付出任何代价。”

格林代尔夫人没有回应这种观点。她非常喜欢弗兰克·马利特。他一直是她最喜欢的人，但自从她猜到伯莎自己没有想到的事情后，她就感到不舒服。这可能会扰乱她制定的所有计划，而她很高兴得知自己拒绝了他。格林代尔夫人是一位心地善良的女人，但她不能忘记，从世俗的意义上来说，她自己可能比她更合适。自从伯莎还是个孩子的时候起，尤其是自从她表现出非凡的美貌以来，她的野心就集中在她能嫁得一个真正的好姻缘上。

弗兰克第二天进城，一周后格林代尔一家也跟着他。他们不常在社交场合见到他，因为弗兰克很少外出。但他偶尔会以一种友好、不客气的方式打来电话。需要敏锐的观察者才能看出他对伯莎的态度有什么不同，但格林代尔夫人注意到了这一点，而女孩自己也觉得，尽管他同样友善和友好，但他的态度有一些难以察觉的变化，有些变化她感觉到了，尽管她无法定义它，甚至对她自己来说也是如此。

“伯莎，你和马利特少校有过争执吗？”有一天，威尔逊夫人在客厅里独自一人和她一起问。

弗兰克在那里待了一个小时后刚刚离开。

“嘉莉，吵架了吗？不！是什么让你产生了这样的想法？”

“我的眼睛，也许还有我的耳朵的帮助。亲爱的，你认为去年秋天和你一起在游艇上之后，我不应该注意到你们彼此的态度有什么变化吗？我之前就预料到会听到一个有趣的消息；但事实并非如此。现在我发现事情出了问题。”

“我们还是一如既往的好朋友，”伯莎简短地说。 “每一点。”

“你的意思不是说你拒绝了他，伯莎？”

“我无意说类似的话。我只是说，马利特少校和我一直是好朋友，现在也是如此。没有人比我更尊敬。”

“好吧，伯莎，如果你不愿意告诉我的话，我不想知道你的秘密。我只能说，如果你拒绝了他，你就做了一件非常愚蠢的事情。我不知道哪个男人能让女人更幸福。去年我们和你一起出去时，艾米和我都认为你们一定会成功，并且认为你们彼此非常合适。当然，在世俗方面，你可能会做得更好；现在球就在你脚下；但你可以选择在哪里，你不会找到比他更好的人。是的，我告诉哈利，幸运的是，在我被不可挽回地俘获之前，我没有登上鱼鹰号，因为我肯定会爱上马利特少校。好吧，我很抱歉，伯莎，我无法说出口；我相信艾米也会如此。”

“嘉莉，我没有说什么可以证明这次小爆炸是合理的，我当然不打算回答这个问题。如果我不能完全确定你永远不会把你脑子里的这个想法告诉别人，我真的会感到非常烦恼。”

“你可能对此非常确定，伯莎。至少当我说没有其他人的时候，当然不包括哈利；但你足够了解他，可以肯定事情不会更进一步。我相信他会和我一样失望。事实上，他会对我有一个小小的胜利，因为按照男人通常的方式，他在游艇上什么也没看到，并且一直坚持认为这纯粹是我的幻想。不过，我不会告诉任何人，甚至艾米。她可以自己找到答案，你可以确信，当她从大陆回来时，她会这样做，如果她自己与杰克的幸福确实没有让她对所有月下的事情视而不见的话。

“好吧，再见，亲爱的。你会原谅我说我对你失望，对你非常失望。”

“我必须努力忍受这一点，嘉莉。我不知道你在做出自己的婚姻安排之前咨询过我，也许我可以管理我自己的婚姻。”

“好吧，别生气，伯莎。请记住，我不是提供建议或咨询。我只是感到遗憾，也许有一天你自己也会这么做。”

拍完这张告别照后，她离开了。

几周过去了，当梅来了，弗兰克告诉她鱼鹰已经安装完毕，他将在一两天内加入她时，伯莎听到这个消息很满意。这个季节是愉快的，她玩得很开心。她杯中的一小滴苦涩是她不能再像以前那样享受他的来访。他是唯一一个可以和她谈笑风生的男人，他是一位真正的老朋友，不仅是她和过去之间的纽带，也是她和乡村生活之间的纽带。

而现在，她生气地想，他已经破坏了这一切，而让她几乎同样恼火的是，这种变化更多地发生在她身上，而不是他身上。她不再委托他为她执行任务，也不再让他成为她的知己。她知道他会像以前一样准备好笑和同情，他仍然会很乐意执行她的委托，她觉得他努力让她忘记他渴望成为比兄弟朋友更亲近的人。她觉得，听了他的话，他们之间的关系再也不能像以前那样了。

弗兰克习惯于读懂她的想法，但他并没有被她现在很少见到他而感到遗憾的表情所欺骗，因为他看到这个消息对她来说确实很愉快。她不知道这是他前一天晚上与塞文上校的一次谈话，塞文上校决定他比原计划提前两周前往鱼鹰号。

“马利特，你几乎和我一样成为这里的常客了。我认为你还太年轻，不适合经常参加俱乐部生活。对于像我这样的老顽固来说，这一切都很好，但是对于像你这样的年轻人来说，这么早地过单身汉生活，我不认为这是一件好事。”

“我不想做这种事，上校。但我无法忍受在炎热的房间里的这些挤压；我一辈子都看不出乐趣从何而来。我开始认为我离开军队是个蠢货。”

“一点也不，小伙子，一点也不。当一个人拥有了良好的财产时，他就可以安定下来，结婚生子，诸如此类，比在和平时期留在军队要好得多。昨天威尔逊和霍利和我一起在这里吃饭。去年我们在您的游艇上度过了愉快的时光，我们进行了愉快的交谈。我不知道什么时候我像那时一样享受自己。格林代尔夫人是一位非常聪明的女人，她的女儿是我很久以来见过的最好的女孩，而且没有一点废话。我想知道她这个时候还没有订婚。马修斯将军，正如你所知，为了他的女儿们，他在这类事情上付出了很多，他最近告诉我，从他所听到的情况来看，他认为格林代尔小姐的订婚很可能在赛季结束了。他说有三个人在逃跑：索默莱伯爵的长子奇尔森勋爵；乔治·德拉莫尔——你知道，他的父亲是内阁成员，他是庞贝里议员；还有一个名叫卡修的男人，养着赛马，是她在乡下的邻居。我听说，他是一个英俊的小伙子，而且正是女孩子可能会喜欢的那种男人。马修斯认为机会对他有利。你也是他们的邻居，我想你应该认识他吧？”

“我曾经认识他，上校，但现在我已经很多年没有见过他了，除了上个赛季在晚餐等场合见过他两三次之外。去印度之前我在家的时候他不在，在我回来之前他已经卖掉了他的房产。”

“他们说他在球场上非常幸运，赚了一大笔钱。”

“我听说过，”弗兰克说。 “但是，你看，人们通常听到的是男人的好运气，而不是坏运气。此外，许多人的大部分真实投注都是通过专员进行的，特别是如果他们自己拥有马的话。他是一个我不太关心的人，我希望无论格林代尔小姐嫁给谁，他都不会是那个男人。”

“去年你第一次邀请我下来时，我以为你是专门为她举办的派对，马利特，而且你自己也要去参加这个奖项。但当然，我很快就发现我错了，因为你们都是很好的朋友，不可能发生这种事。我经常注意到，经常在一起的男人和女孩往往是资本的朋友，但是，尽管只是你认为会走到一起的一对，但他们很少这样做。我已经一遍又一遍地注意到它。好吧，无论谁得到她，她都是一个非常好的女孩。”

弗兰克直到六月底才回到城里。

“我必须祝贺你们鱼鹰号的胜利，”伯莎在他第一次打电话来看望他们时说道。 “你可以想象我对游艇比赛的报道有多么感兴趣。我看到你在泰晤士河上赢了两次，在南安普顿一次获得第一，一次第二。”

“是的，正如我所想，鱼鹰号已经证明自己是一艘异常快的船。如果飞行员没有把事情处理得太精细，让我们在奈特利对面搁浅的话，我们应该在南安普顿取得两个第一；过了一刻钟我们才再次出发。我们收复了很多失地，获得了第二名，但在八分钟内就被获胜者击败了。”

“你参加过莱德女王杯吗？”

“我还没有进去，但我会进去，”他说。

“妈妈和我会去那里。哈弗利勋爵——他是妈妈的堂兄，你知道——已经在那儿租了一栋房子一个月，他要举办一个大型聚会，我们要去参加赖德周。”

“是的，还会有维多利亚游艇俱乐部舞会，以及各种欢乐活动。我还没有进去，但我会进去的。报名要到下周六才结束。”

“你当然会打电话来见我们，弗兰克？”格林代尔夫人说道。 “哈弗利有一艘大纵帆船，我敢说我们在水上会很划算。”

“我一定会很高兴打电话来，格林代尔女士。”

“我警告你，弗兰克，如果鱼鹰没有赢得奖杯，伯莎和我将会非常失望。在某种程度上，我们认为自己是她的所有者；如果你不赢的话，对我们来说将是一个沉重的打击。”

“我无论如何都不确定这一点，”他说。 “我想本赛季会有几艘船还没有参加比赛，其中两艘是新船，所以不知道它们会产生什么结果。”

弗兰克只在城里呆了两天。他从杰克·霍利那里得知，有报道称奇尔森勋爵和乔治·德拉莫尔都被伯莎·格林代尔拒绝了。

“奇尔森突然走了，”他说。 “至于德拉莫尔，当然，由于他是一名议员，他必须在会议期间停下来，但从我所听到的情况来看，正如你所知，我有一些很好的信息来源，我很确定他也得到了他的结论。我认为卡修是最喜欢的。一般来说，我不喜欢这些参加赛车的人，但他是一个非常好的人。我见过他不少。十天前，他为我在德比战中做出了贡献。他举办了异常丰盛的晚宴，并邀请过我好几次，但我没有去参加，因为我相信之后还有很多比赛，而且我无法忍受无限制的上厕所。”

“他自己幸运吗？”弗兰克问道。

“不，我听说恰恰相反。我认识一个人，他参加过三四次晚餐，他告诉我卡修每次都输了，有那么一两次，输得很惨重。”

“卡修的马在德比赛中获得第二名，不是吗？”

“是的，一开始对他的赌注是二十比一。”

“我想知道他没有给那个小费以及另一个小费。”

“嗯，他确实说过他认为它可能会进入一个地方，但他确信他没有机会与热门人选。事实证明，他比他预想的更接近胜利。比赛前一天，热门球队以5比4的比分输给了对手，最后以10比1落后。有报道称他在某些方面出了问题。一些人说有人试图攻击他，另一些人则说他的脚上钉了钉子。人们普遍认为他会在慢跑中获胜，但事实上他只以一个短头优势击败了卡修的马。”

“卡修支持他的马获胜吗？”

“他告诉我，他只支持了一百美元，但为了一个席位而投入了五百美元，当他以六比一的价格反对时，他的表现异常出色。”

“你认为格林代尔小姐有可能接受他吗？”

“啊！我不能说。他的表现确实非常强劲，如果我是一个投注者，我不应该介意在比赛结束时下注二比一。”

第二天，弗兰克加入了位于朴茨茅斯港附近的鱼鹰号。

“乔治，我回来得比我预期的要早，”当莱奇米尔在车站遇见他时，他说道。 “我已经厌倦了伦敦，想再次登上船上。”

“我希望镇上没有出什么问题吧，少校？”第二天，乔治一边收拾早餐的东西一边说道。 “请原谅我这么问，但在我看来，自从你上船以来，你就不再是你自己了。”

“嗯，是的，乔治。我很沮丧，我承认。当我告诉你格林代尔小姐很有可能嫁给卡修先生时，我相信你也会感到遗憾。

乔治把手里的盘子重重地放在桌子上，站在那里，茫然地看着弗兰克。

“为什么，先生，我想，”他慢慢地说，“会是你和格林代尔小姐。我一直这么认为。对不起，先生，我无意冒犯，但自从她下来给游艇命名以来，我们都是这么想的。”

“无意冒犯，乔治。是的，我不介意告诉你我自己也希望如此，但事实并非如此。你看，格林代尔小姐从小就认识我，除了作为表弟之外，她从来没有以任何其他方式看待过我——她非常喜欢的人，但从未想到过她能成为这样的人。结婚。这一切都过去了，但我应该为她嫁给卡修感到遗憾，非常遗憾，因为我知道我对他做了什么。”

“但绝对不能这样，先生，”乔治激烈地说。 “绝对不能让那个可爱的小姑娘嫁给那个黑心恶棍。”

“不幸的是我无法阻止它，乔治。”

“为什么，先生，你只需要告诉她关于玛莎的事，我相信这对他的生意会有好处。格林代尔小姐对此一无所知。据我记忆，她当时还不到十六岁。我想格林代尔夫人从来没有听说过它。她当然知道玛莎失踪了，因为这引起了很大的轰动，但我认为她没有听说玛莎回来了。去世前她只在家三周。见过她的人并不多，父亲告诉我，有一天，他和其他人在奇彭纳姆市场让卡修变得非常热，以至于他再也没有下来，不久之后就把这个地方卖掉了。我想那些绅士们从来没有听说过这件事。如果他们这样做了，格林代尔夫人肯定不会让她的女儿嫁给他。”

“不，我确信她不会；但乔治，我仍然认为我不可能干涉这件事。这个故事已经过去三年了，即使这只是昨天发生的事，在我们之间发生了这些事之后，我也无法站出来作为他的控告者。这会让我显得怀有怨恨；而且，我没有任何证据。他当然会否认整件事。我并不是说他会否认她说过这样的话——他不能那样做——但他可能会宣称她说的是假话，甚至可能会说这是试图将别人的罪过推到他的肩上。而且，正如我告诉过你的，我不喜欢这个人还有其他原因，从表面上看，我似乎是为了反对他而编造了这个老故事，不仅是出于嫉妒，而且是出于个人恶意。

“不，我不可能干涉。我愿意付出我所值得的一切来做到这一点，但这是不可能的。如果我有充分且无可置疑的证据，我就会去找格林代尔夫人，把这件事摆在她面前。但我没有这样的证据。除了那个可怜的女孩的话与他的相反之外，什么也没有。”

乔治双唇紧闭，脸上浮现出坚定的表情。

“我敢说你是对的，少校，”他停顿了一下后说道。 “但在我看来，格林代尔小姐应该为这样的一个男人而牺牲，这很难受。”

弗兰克没有回答。这件事他已经想了再三，得出的结论是他不能干涉。如果不是他亲自向她求婚并被拒绝，他可能已经搬家了。到那时为止，他一直处于这个家庭的老朋友的地位，因此很可能与格林代尔夫人就一件与伯莎的幸福息息相关的事情进行交谈。现在，他采取的这一步骤看起来像是一个失望的对手的干涉，而不是一个无私的朋友。他上了甲板，坐了一会儿，终于得出了结论。

“这是我的职责。这是毫无疑问的。”他对自己说。 “如果伯莎真的爱卡修，她会相信他的否认，而不是我的指控，因为它没有一点真实的证据支持。那样的话，她就会把我的故事视为恶意和卑鄙。但毕竟这并不重要。我宁愿失去她的喜爱和尊重，也不愿失去我自己的自尊。我会把这件事告诉格林代尔夫人。到那时，责任就不再是我的了。她可能不会认为这件事绝对阻碍了卡修与伯莎结婚——那是她的事，也是伯莎的事——但无论如何我都会尽到我的职责。不过，我会等到伯莎接受他为止。

“我已经下定决心了，乔治，”他后来说道。 “如果我听说格林代尔小姐已经接受了卡修，我就会去找她母亲，告诉她这个故事。我对它能带来多大好处不抱什么希望。很难让一个女孩相信任何反对她所爱的男人的事情，直到可以毫无疑问地证明这一点，而卡修当然会愤怒地否认他与这件事有任何关系，我希望这不会产生任何影响，除了让她真心不喜欢我之外。但这也是没办法的事。显然，这不仅是我作为她的朋友的责任，也是作为她父母的朋友的责任。但我希望这个任务不要落在我身上。”

“我很高兴听到你这么说，少校，”乔治平静地说。 “我可以看到，先生，正如你所说，如果其他人能做到的话会更好，但是格林代尔夫人认识你这么多年，她肯定知道你永远不会告诉她，除非你相信故事是真的。”

“毫无疑问她会的，乔治。我希望格林代尔小姐也能这么做；但即使她不这么看，我也无能为力。好吧，我上岸去会所看看他们是否听说了有关杯赛参赛的消息。”

回来后他对船长说：

“我听说幻影已经进来了，霍金斯。我听说她刚刚从赛场上下来，她已经有了一套由拉普索恩制作的新赛车帆布服。”

“好吧，先生，我认为我们应该有一个很好的机会和她在一起。在她参加的几次比赛中，她都展示了自己是一艘非常快的船，但我们也是如此，并且通过我们都曾航行过的船只，我认为我们应该能够击败她。”

“我觉得我们不应该这样做，霍金斯。我们会尽力而为，但我已经见过卡修先生很多次了，因为我们一起上学和上大学，不知怎的，他总是能打败我。”

“啊！好吧，这一次我们会扭转局势，长官。”

“我希望如此，但事情经常发生相反的情况，我不得不对此有点迷信。我愿意付出很大代价来击败他。如你所知，我想赢得女王杯；但即使我没有赢，只要我能击败他，我就很满足了。”

那是莱德帆船赛的一周。当时赖德与考斯争夺游艇总部的荣耀，场面一片欢快。附近的每栋房子都挤满了客人，许多人都以惊人的价格租了一周，小镇上旗帜鲜明，一大群游艇停泊在小镇附近，从码头向西一直延伸到废船。 。维多利亚游艇俱乐部的草坪上挤满了女士，军乐队在演奏，船只在游艇和俱乐部会所之间来回划动。

这是帆船赛的第一天，女王杯要到第三天才举行。前一天早上，弗兰克收到格林代尔夫人的一张便条，说他们是前一天随哈弗利勋爵的一行人抵达的，并附上了他当天的晚餐邀请。他一接到电话就上前去打电话，但以之前有约为由，他没有在地上吃饭，因为他确信卡修会是其中一员。

“我想，格林代尔女士，要求你和伯莎周五乘坐鱼鹰号航行是没有用的吗？”

“我不应该考虑去，弗兰克。赛艇不适合老太太。至于伯莎，她已经订婚了。两周后，卡修先生邀请她乘坐幻影号航行。奥利弗·马斯顿夫人和她的表弟哈弗利小姐也要去。我知道女士们乘坐游艇并不常见，但她们都习惯了游艇，卡修先生宣称她们不会妨碍她们。

“我不明白为什么他们应该这样，”弗兰克停顿了一下后说道。 “当然，在小船上情况会有所不同，但在像幻影这样的船上，有足够的空间容纳两到三名女士，而不会妨碍船员。

“好吧，我得走了，”他有些匆忙地停了下来，因为他看到一群人沿着花园小路朝房子走来。

其中包括伯莎和另外两名女士、卡修和另一名男子。

“还有哪个晚上适合你，弗兰克？”当他站起来时，格林代尔夫人问道。

“恐怕我整个星期都订婚了，格林代尔夫人。”

“我很抱歉，”她平静地说，“但也许这是最好的结果，弗兰克。”

当花园里的人从落地窗进来时，门在他身后关上了。

第二天早上，乔治·莱赫米尔 (George Lechmere) 与乘务员一起上岸，后者登陆后进行营销工作。山上的街道上人头攒动，不少游艇的水手已经上岸。服务员拿着他们普遍使用的扁平灯芯草篮子，从一家商店走到另一家商店。一群群水手正在谈论当天发生的事情。马车停在鱼店、家禽店、水果店和花店前，店主们正在为客人准备物资。人们从岛上各地驾车前来观看比赛，载着鸡蛋、黄油、家禽和水果的轻型乡村车正从陡峭的山坡上驶下。

乔治从弗兰克的漫不经心的谈话中得知了哈弗利勋爵占领的房子所在的位置，于是上山后向右转，继续前行，直到来到一栋绿树掩映的大房子前。早餐刚吃完，一名仆人告诉伯莎，一位自称叫乔治·莱赫米尔的绅士想和她说话。她到大厅里去找他。

“好吧，乔治，”她坦率地向他伸出了手，因为他是她最喜欢的人。 “我想你给我带来了马利特少校的消息？”

“不，格林代尔小姐，少校不知道我来找你。我是为了我自己才来到这里的。你能抽出我一刻钟吗？”

“当然，乔治，”她有些惊讶地说。 “我会到花园里去。这个时候我们很可能会独享它。”

她拿了帽子，他们一起走进花园。直到他们到达另一端，乔治才试图说话，那里阴凉的角落里有一个座位。

“坐下，乔治，”她说。

“谢谢你，格林代尔小姐，我宁愿站着，”他在她面前就座。

“我有一个故事要告诉你，”他说。 “不得不说出来对我来说是非常痛苦的，你听到它也会很痛苦；但我相信你应该知道。”

伯莎没有说话，只是惊讶地睁大眼睛看着他。

“我确信，格林代尔小姐，”乔治继续说道，“少校从来没有告诉过你，他在德里受的重伤几乎要了他的命，是我造成的——他是被我的步枪子弹打伤的。 ”

“不，乔治，他当然从来没有这么说过。我想他就在你前面，而你的步枪不小心走火了？”

“不，格林代尔小姐，我是故意针对他的，只是上帝的怜悯才救了他的命。”

伯莎惊讶得说不出话来，他继续说道：

“他自己以为自己是被印度兵的子弹击中的，直到我派人去找他，相信我受了致命伤，他才知道是我击中了他。”

“但是为了什么呢？”她问。 “是什么让你做出如此可怕的事情？我以为他受到他的部下的喜欢。”

“格林代尔小姐，没有人比她更受欢迎了。他是团里最受欢迎的军官，如果士兵们知道了这一点，而我没有因此被绞死，那么我在之后第一次参加行动时就应该被枪杀。这与军队无关。我加入他的连队就是为了射杀他。”

伯莎简直不敢相信自己的耳朵。她认真地看着男人。早上这个时候他肯定不可能喝酒，要不是他脸上平静而认真的表情，她一定会怀疑他是否神智正常。他接着说：

“我来这里是为了告诉你为什么我向他开枪。”

“我不想听。”她急忙说道。 “这不关我的事。我知道无论是什么，马利特少校一定已经原谅你了。再说了，你后来还救了他的命。”

“对不起，格林代尔小姐，但这件事关系到你，我请你听我说。你听说过玛莎·贝内特，这个可怜的女孩四年前失踪了，人们认为她是被谋杀的。”

“是的，我记得有过这样的谈话。从来不知道是谁干的。”

“她没有被谋杀，”他说。 “几个月后她回来了，但只是死了。那时正是约翰爵士生病的时候，你自然不会听到任何消息。

“嗯，格林代尔小姐，我曾经和玛莎订过婚。我生性嫉妒、热情，没有足够体谅她年轻、天生爱慕之情。我和她吵架，订婚被解除了，但我仍然全心全意地爱着她。”

然后他继续讲述了当他看到她和马利特少校谈话时他是多么的疯狂，以及他失踪前一天晚上在她父亲的花园里无意中听到的谈话。

“格林代尔小姐，我立即得出结论，那就是马利特船长，就像他当时那样。那天下午他一直在跟房客告别，我知道他要出国了。除了他毁了我可怜的女儿，并说服她去印度和他会合之外，我还能怎么想呢？我等了一会儿，当他们寻找尸体时，我知道他们永远找不到。我自己的父母在心里认为我是在嫉妒的愤怒中谋杀了她。最后我决定加入他的军团，跟随他去印度，杀了他，找到她，带她回家。”

“多可怕啊！”女孩低声说道。

“这太可怕了，格林代尔小姐。我现在相信我当时一定很生气。然而我做到了，但最终失败了。幸运的是，我没有成为杀人犯。正如我告诉过你的，我受了重伤。我以为我快要死了，医生也这么认为。所以我派人去叫马利特上尉，让他知道是我开枪的，这是为了报复他对玛莎所做的错事。

“当我告诉他时，甚至在他说话之前，我就从他的表情中看出我错了。他对此一无所知。好吧，小姐，他原谅了我——完全原谅了我。他告诉我，他永远不应该向任何人提起这件事，因为他甚至从未向你提起过，你可以看到他遵守诺言的程度。我想离开军团。我觉得我永远不能和我的战友们混在一起，因为我知道我曾试图谋杀他们最喜欢的军官。但少校不肯听。他坚持要我留下来，更答应我出院后就给他当仆人，说作为老佃户的儿子，他宁愿要我，也不要别人。那么，格林代尔小姐，你完全可以想象，我多么愿意为他献出自己的生命，当机会到来时，我很乐意面对困难来拯救他。

“在那之前我就已经知道这个人是谁了。我父亲的一封信首先给了我线索；他提到另一位绅士离开了附近并出国了，就在马利特少校离开的时候。他曾经在一次为房客举行的宴会上对玛莎的关注，这让我一度嫉妒不已。

“少校也有同样的想法，他告诉我他知道这个人是个坏人，但他没有说为什么这么想。然后我听说玛莎已经回来死了，我得知她已经告诉了她母亲毁灭者的名字，这个毁灭者在带走她三个月后抛弃了她。当他从国外回来时，她的父亲、我的父亲以及其他一些人在奇彭纳姆市场遇见了他。他们袭击了他，我相信，如果他没有骑马逃跑的话，他们就会杀了他。第二天，他去了伦敦，两周后，他的庄园就挂牌出售了，之后他就再也没有去过这个国家的那个地方。

“我告诉你这一切，格林代尔小姐，因为我听说你认识这个人，我想你应该知道他是一个什么样的人。他的名字叫卡修。”

随着故事的继续，伯莎的脸色变得越来越苍白，当故事讲完时，她静静地坐了两三分钟。然后她低声说道：

“谢谢你，乔治。你告诉我这个故事是对的；这是我应该知道的。我想知道——”她停了下来。

“你奇怪少校没有告诉你，格林代尔小姐。我问他，我自己。你想一想，你就会明白为什么他不能告诉你；因为他没有任何实际证据，除了垂死的女孩的话和我的所见所闻；他讲述这件事的动机可能被误解了。但他告诉我，即使冒着这样的风险，如果你和那个恶棍订婚了，他也应该感到有责任把这个故事告诉格林代尔夫人。

“但如果他觉得说话很困难，我似乎没有理由不这么做。除了我的父母和他，没有人知道我差点就是一个杀人犯。尽管他如此慷慨地原谅了我，而我也试图以一种小小的方式向他表达我的感激之情，但不得不向其他人讲述这个故事对我来说仍然是痛苦的。但我觉得我应该这样做——不是为了他，因为他告诉我我所寻找的和他所希望的并没有实现——而是因为我认为你不应该被允许为这样的人牺牲自己的生命；部分原因是我不想让我亲爱的主人承受讲述这个故事的痛苦，以及可能被误解的痛苦。”

“谢谢你，乔治，”她轻声说。 “你说得很对——”

就在这时，花园的另一头传来了一些声音。

“我马上就走，”乔治说，抓住了离开的机会。他转身沿着花园走，离开了房子。

“伯莎，你的朋友是谁？”当哈弗利小姐看到伯莎慢慢地沿着花园走来时，她笑着说道。

“怎么——有什么事吗？”当她看到自己的脸时，她惊呼道。

“我突然晕倒了，汉娜，”伯莎回答道。 “我想是昨天天气太热了；今天早上也很暖和。我现在好多了，很快就会过去的。我会进屋半个小时，然后我就会恢复正常了。

“我的朋友并不特别。他是马利特少校的杂役。他只给我带来了一条消息，但据我了解“鱼鹰”号上的所有人员，而且本赛季还没有上过船，所以当然有很多事情要问。”

“好吧，你必须尽快康复，”哈弗利小姐说。 “你知道我们半小时后就要出发去游艇，这样才能及时出发。”

到了约定的时间，伯莎加入了下面的队伍。她的眼睛看起来很沉重，脸颊通红，但她向哈弗利小姐保证，她现在感觉很平静，而且她确信海边的空气会让她完全康复。炮响前一刻钟，纵帆船已开始航行，并向东航行，航线绕纳布河两圈并返回。

游艇在四面八方飞来飞去，因为最近半个小时才出现了一丝清淡的空气。

“那是幽灵号，”哈弗利勋爵说。 “在过去的两天里，她一直在巡航，以张开帆，而且帆看起来非常好。卡修昨天告诉我，她今天一早就会过河，他应该参加比赛，看看她表现如何。我想你们年轻女士们很有机会夸耀自己曾驾驶赢得女王杯的游艇。我想它位于她和鱼鹰之间。我知道马利特也将起航，但由于幻影将参加比赛，我认为他不会。她是一件精美的工艺品，尽管我自己更喜欢切割钻机。幻影号必须给她时间，但不要太多，因为偏航轮的吨位最重。

“发令枪响了。他们在队伍中都靠得很近。

“那景象真漂亮，格林代尔女士。论赛马的起步，与它相比，无异于从光明到黑暗。”

巡航了三四个小时后，他们的纵帆船在半小时前到达的鱼鹰号附近抛锚了。

“哈弗利勋爵，您登上过鱼鹰号吗？”伯莎问道。

“不，亲爱的，我不知道我以前和你的朋友马利特少校一起去过任何港口。”

“好吧，你对我们在上岸的路上待几分钟怎么样？妈妈和我都很喜欢她，我是她的教母，给她起了洗礼。”

“教母和牧师合二为一，呃，伯莎？我们一定会去；也就是说，我们不能入侵他的身体，但我们这些认识马利特的人可以上船，平底艇可以回来把剩下的人带上岸，然后来接我们。”

因此，哈弗利勋爵和他的女儿格林代尔夫人和伯莎，以及队伍中的另外两人被划到了鱼鹰号上。弗兰克看到他们过来，就在舷梯处迎接了他们。

“少校，我们要对你大发雷霆，”哈弗利勋爵说道，“但是格林代尔夫人和她的女儿几乎对鱼鹰拥有所有权，因为后者是她的教母。事实上，我们自然也对她感兴趣，因为她是我们的裂缝之一。她是一艘看起来非常聪明的飞船，但我认为遗憾的是她没有配备切割装置。”

“毫无疑问，她会看起来更漂亮，”弗兰克说。 “但是，你看，虽然她是一名赛车手，而且我偶尔也喜欢参加比赛，但这并不是我的主要目标。我想让她用于巡航，毫无疑问，偏航桨更方便，而且与相同尺寸的切割机相比，您可以用更少的手来操作她。”

他们绕着船转了一圈，然后回到甲板上，坐下来聊天，等待船回来。

“弗兰克，我真诚地希望你能在周五获胜，”格林代尔女士说道。 “我们的同情心相当分歧，但我希望鱼鹰能够获胜。”

“谢谢你，格林代尔夫人，但我对此并不乐观。

“哈弗利小姐，我想当比赛结束时，你和格林代尔小姐会看到胜利的旗帜飘扬在头顶上。”

“少校，你为什么这么想？”哈弗利勋爵问道。 “普遍认为你们的记录比幻影要好。她在航行的两三场比赛中表现出色，但她肯定没有像你那样击败莱斯比亚号或美人鱼号。”

“也许是这样，”弗兰克同意道，“但我认为卡修出生在幸运星之下；尽管我自己的观点是，如果幻影落入其他人手中，我们应该击败她，但我想他的运气会让她渡过难关。”

哈弗利笑了。 “我不应该因为你迷信而相信你，少校。”

“我不认为我有很多迷信，但在这件事上我承认有类似的东西。”

伯莎认真地看着他。就在平底艇从岸边回来之前，她和弗兰克站在一起。

“我很抱歉明天无法得到你们的良好祝愿，”他说。

“我没有说过任何人都会得到我的良好祝愿，”她回答道。 “我将登上幻影号，因为在你邀请我之前我就被邀请去那里，但我希望最好的游艇能够获胜。我想和你谈一两分钟。什么时候能见到你？”

“我明天早上可以早起。”他回答道。 “什么时间最适合你？”

“十点钟;请找妈妈。”

第二天早上，格林代尔夫人和伯莎一起来到客厅，弗兰克在拜访哈弗利勋爵时被带进了客厅。

“你来得早啊，弗兰克。”

“是的，格林代尔女士。我要去环岛跑步。整天坐着无所事事让我坐立不安，而航行时我总是心满意足。因为明天早上我没有时间来，因为你知道我们九点开始，所以我想今天早上我会顺便过来，即使时间很早。”

聊了几分钟后，格林代尔女士找了个借口离开了房间。

“她知道你要来，而且我想和你说话，”伯莎说。

“嗯，那是什么——有什么重要的事情吗？”他微笑着问道。

她犹豫了一下，然后继续说道。

“你昨天说的一些话让我想起了你四年前说过的话。你还记得你去印度的前一天，我们在暮色中并肩而坐吗？那时我们正在谈论迷信，你告诉我你只有一个，并说那是什么——你还记得吗？”

“我记得，”他严肃地说。

“关于一个经常打败你的人，以及你认为如果你再次接触的话总是会打败你的人。你不会告诉我他的名字。是卡修先生吗？

“那时我不会回答这个问题，伯莎，你也肯定不能指望我现在回答。”

“我确实希望你能回答。”

“那么我必须坚决拒绝这样做，”他说。 “什么！你觉得如果是他的话，我现在会卑鄙到抹黑他吗？因为你必须记住，我说过我的失败只有一次是由于犯规，其他大多数失败都只是因为他比我更好。这件事早已被人遗忘了，而且，无论是谁，我都不会提起那个老故事来让任何人对他产生偏见。我没有任何证据表明是他损坏了我的船。这可能是当地某个船夫的行为，他用钱来阻止我获胜。”

“够了。”她轻声说道。 “我没想到你会告诉我是不是卡修先生，但我确信如果不是他，你也会毫不犹豫地说出来。谢谢你，这就是我想见你的全部目的。你昨天所说的让我们的谈话如此生动地浮现在我的脑海中，我忍不住问你。它解释了当时我觉得奇怪的事情；为什么你一向态度和蔼可亲，第一次在我们家见到他时却对他如此冷淡。我想可能有更严重的事情——”她直视着他的脸。

“也许我是一个有偏见的乞丐，”他试图微笑着说道，然后又有些苦涩地补充道。 “你看，事情并没有经过精心计算，使我对他的情况特别慷慨。”

她没有回答，停顿了一会儿，他说道：“好吧，鉴于格林代尔夫人似乎很忙，我就走了。”

“明天晚上你会来参加舞会，是吗？”她问。

“我想我必须这样做，”他说。 “如果我赢了，尽管我确信我不会赢，但如果我不来就会显得很奇怪。如果我输了，就会显得我生闷气。”

“你必须来，”她说，“你必须和我跳舞。你没有遵守诺言，马利特少校。你说过你对我来说永远都是一样的，但事实并非如此。你从来没有邀请过我和你跳舞，你完全变了。”

“我努力做到——我努力努力，伯莎；但目前我还无法做到这一点。我不能袖手旁观，看着你走——”他突然停了下来。

“好吧，没关系，伯莎。一切都会及时到来的，但至少目前我无法忍受。再见。”

不等她回答，他就匆匆离开了房间。

伯莎沉默了一两分钟，然后悄悄地跟着他走出了房间。

第二天，赖德很早就起床了。那天是女王杯比赛日。八艘游艇参赛：三艘纵帆船——罗多彼号、伊索贝尔号和五月花号；四艘切割机——珍珠号、蛹号、欣喜号和幻影号；还有鱼鹰，这是唯一的偏航。时间是八点半，一切都在主帆和三角帆下进行。

索伦特海峡因游艇而充满生机。它们从南安普敦水域涌出，从考斯涌来，还有一些从朴茨茅斯渡过。这一天非常适合航行。

“你还有和上次一样的额外手吗？”弗兰克问船长。

“都一样，先生。他们都非常了解自己的工作，当然，如果在高处有什么事情要做，我们自己的人就会上去。我不认为他们中的任何人会在聪明方面击败我们。”

随着出发时间的临近，选手们开始在起跑线附近聚集；当五分钟的枪声响起时，中帆升起，他们开始在中帆附近前后航行。

当幻影号穿过鱼鹰号的下风处时，三位女士向弗兰克挥舞着手帕，弗兰克摘下了帽子。

“愿最好的游艇获胜，”当船只迅速分开时，伯莎喊道。

“我们不能想要更好的一天，乔治，”弗兰克说。 “我们可以轻松地搬运所有东西，而且没有足够的风来掀起大部分大海。就我们而言，我宁愿风向要么是北风，要么是南风，这样我们就可以确定航线；事实上，我们将在船尾几乎顺风，直到我们绕过纳布河，然后我们将被逆风牵引，也许偶尔会沿着岛的背面逆风航行，然后再次自由返回。毫无疑问，刀具具有近拖拉力。我想，有了这股风，纵帆船就会脱离它；不过，如果全程都能到达，他们就有很好的机会。

“四分钟过去了。”

他手里拿着手表，停顿了一下，喊道：“五秒过去了。”

鱼鹰目前处于有利位置；不过，由于风向后，这影响相对较小。她几乎与距离海岸最近的标记船成一直线，距离海岸约一百五十码。

“拉上主布，”霍金斯轻声说道，站在那里的人拉动绳子，直到他说，“这样就可以了，我们不能走得太快。”

他继续说道，转向弗兰克（弗兰克刚刚喊道：“二十秒过去了”）：

“我想我们差不多该这么做了。”

后者点了点头。

“再多一点，小伙子们，”十秒钟后船长说道。 “这样就可以了。”

“还有十五秒，”弗兰克很快说道。

“把床单松开，漂亮地松开。上前帆，就是这样。”船长喊道。

随着吊杆伸出，前帆升起，鱼鹰加速滑行，炮开火时，船首斜桅的末端距离起跑线只有几码。

“太棒了，好的开始，”弗兰克第一次环顾四周时说道。

八艘游艇相距不远，周围的船只发出一片欢呼声，疾驰而去。有一段时间，它们之间几乎没有什么区别，然后切割机开始稍微领先一点。它们的长帆桁使它们在顺风时比纵帆船和偏航艇更具优势。当时大三角帆还没有发明，船尾的风也不够大，无法让纵帆船携带主帆和前帆、机翼和机翼；或者让偏航的后桅帮助她。

当她们经过海景号时，快艇领先了一段距离，幻影号比她的姐妹舰略占优势。他们没有再取得进一步的进展，因为纵帆船一旦能够做到这一点，就陷入了他们的尾流中，从而剥夺了他们的一些风力。鱼鹰号拥有内侧基地，继续直行，并在快艇与岛末端并列时追上了它们。所有人都在水中快速行驶。

“我们将首先绕过纳布，长官，”霍金斯高兴地说。 “纵帆船正在压制快艇，但它们并没有伤害我们。”

“当我们到达那里时，给她足够的空间，”弗兰克说。

船长点点头。 “我不会冒犯规的风险，先生，你可以确定。”

幻影号上的三名女士坐在防风舷墙下的脚凳上——尽管到目前为止，游艇的龙骨几乎保持平稳。当幻影号慢慢地领先于其他人时，哈弗利小姐和奥利弗夫人发出了满意的感叹，当她们看到身后的纵帆船帆对她们自己的速度产生的影响时，她们感到厌恶。

“我不认为这是公平的，”前者说；“我认为这不公平。” “如果一艘船自己不能顺利航行，就应该允许她损害其他人的机会。你是吗，伯莎？

“我不知道。我认为这对所有人都同样公平，如果有船在我们前面，我们也应该这样做。尽管如此，这还是很累人，但对其他切割者来说也同样糟糕。”

“看看鱼鹰，”奥利弗女士不久后说道。 “她来得很快；你看，她身后什么也没有。我确实相信她会超过我们。”

“不会有太大区别，”站在她身边的卡修自信地说。 “直到我们绕过纳布河之后，比赛才会真正开始，之后我们就不会互相妨碍了。我对我们目前的发展方向感到非常满意。”

鱼鹰号在前面两段距离处绕开了灯船，幻影号紧随其后，比蛹号三段距离，其他几艘也紧随其后。床单被拖了进来，游艇能够以逆向行驶驶向文特诺。三艘领头的船保持着各自的位置，但彼此分开，当它们经过文特诺时，鱼鹰号比幽灵号领先大约五个长度。

“别沮丧，女士们，”卡修高兴地说。 “我们还有很长的路要走，一旦绕过终点，我们就必须掉头，直到越过尼德尔斯。”

大海现在变得更加汹涌。逆风而行，游艇开始将浪花溅到船头。伯莎对卡修说话时的自信感到震惊，并仔细地观察着他。

“圣凯瑟琳角的情况会更糟，”他继续说道。 “即使在最平静的天气里也会有一场比赛，我建议你准备好你的围巾，因为当我们进入比赛时，水花会飞溅到她身上。”

他们现在正在努力调整方向，但鱼鹰仍在改善她的位置，当他们接近圣凯瑟琳角时，她已经距离好方向足有四分之一英里了。卡修仍然保持着他的好脾气，但伯莎看得出来他是在努力。他似乎对幻影号的航行毫不在意，目光却全神贯注地盯着鱼鹰号。

“不久之后，我们中的一些人就拿走了一根圆木，我不应该感到惊讶，”他说。 “风越来越大，我想我们必须调整中帆和三角帆。”

他们现在已经远远地躺在远处，水已经高过背风甲板的两三块木板了。每次快艇航行时，女士们都会把脚凳抬到上风处，此时船的龙骨会暂时保持平稳。在那里，他们不得不用一只手放在栏杆上，以防止自己在船只倾斜时滑向下风处。

“蛹号的顶桅掉了，”船长突然喊道。 “这对她来说是一个机会。卡修先生，我想我最好把起重臂头准备好吊装；桅杆像鞭子一样弯曲。”

“是的，我认为你最好立即起来，队长。冒任何风险是没有用的。”

当“幻影”号的大中帆降下时，可以看到“鱼鹰”号的中帆先是飘扬，然后下降。

“他只是在等我们，”船长说。

卡修没有回答。他仍然专注地注视着前方的飞船。

“这对他来说也是好事，”船长继续说道。 “他将直接参加比赛。”

伯莎仍然注视着卡修的脸。他的语气虽然欢快，但语气中却带着一丝焦急。三分钟后，他松了口气，前方的人中响起了喊声。

顺着他目光的方向，她看到鱼鹰号的船首斜桅向下风方向摆动，片刻之后，她的顶桅从她的身边掉下来。

“我告诉你什么了？”卡修得意地说。 “一场比赛只有获胜才算输。”

“哦！我很抱歉，”伯莎说。 “我确实认为很难因为意外而输掉比赛。”

“每艘游艇都必须遵守自己的事故，格林代尔小姐；夺走一根圆石是人们所期待的事故之一。如果没有这种风险，游艇总是会航行太久。这是一个判断和对装备的关注的问题。失去一根桅杆十分之九是由于鲁莽或疏忽造成的。

“但是，我自己也很抱歉；也就是说，我宁愿先到达旗船来赢得奖杯。不过，我现在当然不打算向《财富》杂志抱怨。”

“我认为不会，卡修先生，”奥利弗女士说。 “我确信我非常衷心地祝贺你。当然，我看过几十场比赛，只要有风，就一定有人会失去一根晶石，有时甚至会失去两三个。我认为你不需要害怕后面的任何船只。”

“不，但我感觉不太安全。我不惧怕任何快艇，但是一旦绕过尼德尔斯，这将是一个广阔的范围，你会看到纵帆船会很快出现，我必须给他们足够的时间。不过，我认为我们还是很安全的。”

幻影号很快就靠近了鱼鹰，卡修喊道：

“有什么我能为你做的吗？”

“不，谢谢你，”弗兰克回答道。

然后伯莎喊道：

“我很抱歉。”

弗兰克挥手回应。人们都忙着把残骸移到一边。横木因顶桅的倒塌而被卷走，她的甲板前部散落着装备。比赛中风浪汹涌，难度大大增加。

“一旦你把船上的所有东西都准备好，霍金斯，我们就会在主帆上放几个礁石。在那个和前帆的作用下她会走得很顺利。如果后视镜对她来说太大了，我们可以把它脱掉。”

过了将近半小时，一切才明朗起来，比赛中的最后一艘游艇已经超越了他们，然后前帆的背风帆被拖到船尾，幻影号又恢复了航线。她一这样做，船长就拿着船尾支柱的一部分铜条来到船尾。

“长官，这里面有犯规行为，”他说。 “我认为一定有，因为我无法想象这根金条会破裂，除非金属有缺陷或者被篡改过。我亲自解开了它，因为我认为在我告诉你这件事之前，最好不要让这些人看到它。”

“完全正确，霍金斯。是的，毫无疑问，存在犯规行为。横杆已被细锯锯断了四分之三，当然，当她在比赛中开始将船首斜桅充分浸入其中时，横杆就被锯断了。你看，无论是谁做的，都会在其中倒入一些酸，使铜变暗，部分原因可能是为了防止新切割的金属的颜色被注意到，部分原因是为了使其在破碎后看起来像是被破坏了一样。一个旧的切口。”

“不可能是这样，长官，因为我们上周出海时遇到了和上周一样波涛汹涌的大海，如果有这个伤口的话，船头斜桅就会消失。此外，当我们绕着她擦亮她的侧面时，我们应该肯定已经注意到了这一点。”

“我不知道，霍金斯。你看，切口是从下面开始的，距离水线只有两三英寸。它很可能就在那里而不被注意到。不过，我同意你的观点，上周它不可能在那里，或者当她把鼻子伸进去的时候它一定已经消失了。事实上，我毫不怀疑这是昨晚或前天晚上完成的。它本来可以很容易地被管理。当然，每个人都在下面，无论是在这里还是在我们周围的游艇上，一个人很可能在凌晨一点到两点之间乘一艘小船出来，并且在没有被注意到的情况下完成了这件事。”

“他可能会那么做，长官，但我们应该听到艏楼里的栅栏声。”

“我不知道，霍金斯。窃贼使用的精钢锯几乎可以无声地穿过铁棒，而且我应该说，它几乎可以像穿过硬木一样轻松地穿过铜。最好对工作人员什么也不说，但我认为我有责任将此事提交给俱乐部委员会，他们可以随心所欲。请注意，我暂时不会说这是幻影号上的任何人干的。可能是岸上有人对我们下了几英镑的赌注，想确保赢钱。此外，幽灵很可能希望公平地击败我们，因为她和我们一样受到追捧。把它拿到下面，放在我的小屋里，当我们进去时，解开酒吧的另一部分，把它和这个放在一起。”

然而，当船首斜桅和短尾撑被带上船时，船员们不可能没有注意到酒吧里的裂痕，而且发生了谋杀的消息立刻就传开了。看到人们愤怒的表情和前面热烈的谈话，弗兰克告诉船长把所有的人都召集到船尾。

“看这里，我的伙计们，”他说。 “我看到你们都知道发生了什么事。这是最可耻和不幸的，我几乎不用说，我和你们一样对失去奖杯感到恼火，如果不是这样，我们一定已经夺得了奖杯。然而，这就是一种无可奈何的情况，我们大惊小怪只会让事情变得更糟。我们没有任何理由相信这是幻影号船员所为，而且更有可能是某位沿海游手好闲者所为，他所铺设的东西超出了他所能承受的范围。这在一定程度上是我们自己的错，但我们将来会知道得更多，你们的船长会好好照顾，在我们航行另一场比赛之前，会有两三个晚上的抛锚值班。

“我把你们叫来的目的是求你们不要让这成为岸上发生争执或争吵的机会。到目前为止，我一直为我的船员们的良好行为感到自豪，如果听到你和幻影号船员之间在岸上发生任何争吵，我确实会感到遗憾。他们至少没有什么值得夸耀的。他们赢得了奖杯，但我们赢得了荣誉。我们向自己展示了更好的游艇，如果没有这次事故，我们应该比他们领先一英里左右。因此，我明确希望并命令你们不要在岸上表现出自然的失望。你可以说出我们失败的真正原因，但不要对任何人说一句责备的话，因为我们不知道谁是这种恶行的始作俑者。

“当然，这件事不能完全保密，因为我有责任将其提交给委员会。我不会提出抗议。如果他们选择发起调查，他们就必须这样做，但我不会对此事采取任何措施，而且我们极不可能知道是谁干的。我会把所有赢的钱都付给你，因为你没有赢并不是你的错。尽管我不是一个打赌的人，但我可以打赌，那就是，下次我们遇到幻影时，我们将击败她，如果没有这次事故，我们今天应该做到的那么多。”

当“鱼鹰”号驶入锚地时，没有上桅杆或船首斜桅，她的出现引起了极大的关注。许多游艇驾驶员都上船询问灾难是怎么发生的。为了节省重复这个故事的次数，弗兰克让人把船撑杆的碎片搬上来，放在舵柄附近的甲板上，在回答询问时，他只是指着它们说：

“我认为这本身就说明了问题。”

所有人都对这种卑鄙的暴行充满了愤慨。

“你要做什么，少校？”

“我不会做任何事，除了把它带上岸并交给航行委员会。被砍掉是肯定的。至于是谁砍的，没有任何证据。”

“如果我处于卡修的位置，”其中一个人说道，“在这种情况下我应该拒绝参加杯赛，并且会在你修复损坏后立即与你一起再次参加比赛。”

“如果他提出这个提议，我应该拒绝，”他平静地说。 “很可能有一天我们会在比赛中再次相遇，然后我们就可以一决胜负，但现在已经结束了。他赢得了女王杯，我必须忍受我的意外。”

向委员会报告的事实以及他们对破损钢筋的检查所产生的效果是非常大的。这样的事情在游艇史上是闻所未闻的，委员会下令立即印制并张贴海报，悬赏 100 英镑，以提供证据，将导致该暴行的作者被定罪。

弗兰克立即回到船上，派出一艘船，把破损的船首斜桅和顶桅拖到考斯，并指示怀特先生准备好两根新的桅杆，如果可能的话，在第二天下午之前准备好。

直到十点半在俱乐部会所登陆后，他才再次上岸。每扇窗户都亮了起来，舞蹈在一小时前就开始了。弗兰克立即找了一个合伙人，以避免与游艇朋友谈论这件不愉快的事情。

不久，他在格林代尔夫人身边坐下。

“我很抱歉，弗兰克，”她说。 “当你下定决心时，这似乎很难。”

“我本来希望获胜，”他说，“但毕竟没有那么糟糕。因为“鱼鹰”速度不够快而失败，比因事故而失败更令人羞愧，因为她已经证明自己是比赛中最好的。你知道我从来没有想过成为一名赛艇运动员。我认为赛车是游艇运动的次要部分。我可以向你保证，我不觉得我有什么值得可怜的。情况可能会更好，也可能会更糟。”

“嗯，我很高兴你这么想，”她说。 “我可以向你保证，当我听到这个消息时，我感到非常沮丧。”

他坐下来和她聊了一会儿。不久，伯莎被她的伴侣带回了她母亲身边。

“谢谢你经过我们时向我们致意，格林代尔小姐。这听起来很诚恳，真的让我高兴起来，因为我可以向你保证，当时我的脾气非常糟糕。你看，我的预感成真了，运气对我不利。”

“不走运，”她愤怒地说。 “如果没有背叛，你本来会赢。”

“背叛是一个很难理解的词，”他说。 “但是，为打翻的牛奶哭泣是没有用的。我已经失败了，但我希望我还能活着再战；下次我会赢。不过，你知道，确实没有什么可抱怨的。这个赛季我很幸运，当我买了鱼鹰作为巡洋舰时，我用她做的比我预期的要好得多。”

这时，伯莎的另一个伙伴走了过来，正要把她抱走，这时她说道：

“我想鱼鹰还能航行吗，马利特少校？”

“哦是的。你知道，她是一只跛脚鸭，但她可以过得很好。”

“那么，你为什么不叫妈妈和我明天下午和你一起出海呢？”

“我会很乐意这样做，”他说，“但我几乎认为你最好等到她拿到桅杆。我认为他们不会在明天晚上之前完成。男人们一早就可以去上班，我们第二天两点就可以到这里。”

“不，我想我们明天就来，马利特少校。

“带着一个瘸子去航行是一件新鲜事，不是吗，妈妈？

“此外，你知道，或者你应该知道，后天是星期日，目前我们的计划是星期一进城。”

“既然如此，”弗兰克微笑着说道，“那你明天就来吧。你是来吃午饭，还是午饭后来？”

“之后，我想。我们将于两点半到达俱乐部着陆台。”

“伯莎一心想明天占有你，”当女孩转过身去时，格林代尔夫人微笑着说道。 “我会很高兴她能安静地度过两三个小时，远离喧嚣。大型聚会非常令人疲劳，我认为这对她来说太过分了。昨天和今天，她已经完全不像她自己了。有时安静地坐着，一言不发，有时则与哈弗利小姐和奥利弗夫人喋喋不休，绝对贬低她们俩，我本以为这是不可能的。在我看来，她似乎过于兴奋了。我原以为她能在伦敦远离同性恋一周，好好休息一下，但现在我很抱歉我们一起下来了。我有点担心，弗兰克。”

“嗯，赛季即将结束，格林代尔女士，如果你能在家里呆一小段时间，毫无疑问这对你有好处。昨天我看到伯莎时，我觉得她看起来不太好。”

弗兰克又跳了几支舞，然后走到格林代尔夫人面前说道：

“你能帮我向伯莎道歉吗？并告诉她，我已经在这里露面了，这样就不会被认为是因为我的运气不好而发脾气了，我要走了。事实上，我还不太愿意介入这件事。你可以理解，亲爱的格林代尔夫人，目前我的处境相当艰难。”

她给了他一个同情的眼神。 “我能理解，弗兰克，”她说。 “但她来了。你可以自己找借口。”

“我完全理解你不在乎留下来，”当他重复对她母亲说过的话时，贝莎说。 “好吧，我会给你跳下一支舞，或者，更好的是，我会和你一起坐下来。啊，这是我的搭档。

“詹宁斯先生，恐怕我犯了一个错误，并且把我的卡搞混了。你介意跳第十三支舞而不是这个吗？如果您愿意的话，我将非常感激。”

她的搭档低声表示同意。

“谢谢你，”弗兰克说，她握住了他的手臂。 “现在，我们去阳台还是去草坪？”

“我想是草坪。这是一个美好的夜晚，不用担心着凉。

“恐怕你会非常失望，”他们出去时她继续说道。 “我也很失望。我告诉过你我想要最好的游艇获胜，但它没有做到。”

“谢谢你，”他平静地回答。 “我本来希望能赢，就这一次，但一直以来我都觉得机会对我不利，命运总是会捉弄我。”

“这不是财富。命运与这无关。”她愤怒地说。 “你被一种犯罪行为——一种卑鄙、悲惨的犯罪行为——所殴打，与你之前被殴打的犯罪行为是一样的。”

“我没有理由认为两者之间有任何联系。”

“弗兰克，”她突然插嘴，他开口说道，这是多年来她第一次用他的教名称呼他，“你是我们的老朋友，你向我保证你将永远是我的朋友。你认为试图往我眼睛里扔灰尘是正确的吗？相反，你不认为作为朋友应该对我开诚布公吗？”

弗兰克沉默了一会儿。

“在某些问题上，是的，伯莎；对另一些人来说，我们之间发生的事情让一个人很难知道他应该做什么。但请放心，如果我看到你犯了任何致命的错误，至少是我认为是致命的错误，我不会犹豫，即使我知道这样做会被误解，并且会失去你的喜欢。 。这只是我目前为止觉得发言不合理的情况之一。卡修不是我的朋友，你也知道这一点。如果我没有个人恩怨——因为和他之间已经成了这样——我应该更自由地说话，但事实上我宁愿保持沉默。我现在告诉你，是为了让你知道，万一我插手你的事情，我是多么痛苦，多么不情愿。无论如何，今天发生的事故和他没有任何联系。这次活动是他战胜我的一系列成功之一。这对我影响不大，因为虽然我本来希望今天能获胜，但我对这些事情的感觉不像以前那样了。

“你看，当一个人遭受了一场惨重的失败时，他不会在意小冲突会如何发展。”

两人默默地走来走去，过了好一会儿，她才轻声说道：

“音乐停止了。弗兰克，我想我最好再进去一次。那你明天要带我们去吗？”

“当然，”他说。

他把她带到了格林代尔夫人那里，然后就去了鱼鹰号。当他在甲板上来回踱步了一个小时后才上床睡觉时，他的精神状态比以往任何时候都好。在他看来，她最终可能不会接受卡修，而他也没有义务接受卡修。讲述可耻的故事给她带来麻烦。

“就我而言，一切都一样，”他自言自语道，“但我确信我可以忍受她嫁给其他人；当然，不久之后她就会做得比卡修更好。我听到有人低声说他在阿斯科特赛场上受到了重创，尽管他声称自己赢了。这并不重要，但对于一个女孩来说，嫁给一个赌博的男人从来都不是一个好主意，即使她很有钱，而且她的朋友们也很小心地把钱花在自己身上。她显然怀疑他是这把戏的幕后黑手，如果她真的关心他，她就不会这么想。但如果她真的这么认为，我想赢得女王杯会让他付出沉重的代价。

“我想知道为什么她这么决意明天和我们一起出去。”

卡修那天晚上享受了胜利，大声表达了他对自己的胜利所经历的丑闻的愤慨和遗憾，坦言如果不是这样的话，他几乎不可能赢得奖杯，并表示他决心再添一个奖杯。俱乐部为发现这一暴行的作者而提供了一百英镑的奖励。男士们认为，一个人以这种方式击败对手来赢得奖杯是很困难的，而女士们则钦佩他表达遗憾的真诚方式。他跳舞跳得很好，健谈，而且是个英俊的男人。由于他们很少有人认识弗兰克，所以他们对他的不幸并没有特别的兴趣。

他只和伯莎跳过一次舞，伯莎说：

“作为这次活动的英雄，卡修先生，您必须慷慨地给予大家关注并取悦所有人。”

“我想我必须服从你，格林代尔小姐，”他说，“但我本来希望今晚有机会对你说一些特别的话。”

“真的吗？”她天真地回答道。 “好吧，我明天早上就在家，如果你十一点左右来，一定会找到我的。”

“格林代尔小姐在花园的另一端，先生。”第二天早上，仆人询问她的情况时说道。 “她让我告诉你，如果你打电话，她就在那里。”

带着成功的把握，卡修走进了花园。她一定知道他想对她说什么，而且他最近确信，当这个问题提出时，她的回答会是有利的。她坐在两天前听过乔治·莱奇米尔的故事的同一张长凳上。

“你知道我来这里的目的，格林代尔小姐，”他立即说道。 “我想你知道我对你的感受，也知道我有多深地爱你。我是来请你做我的妻子的。”

“卡修先生，在我回答你之前，”她平静地说，“我必须请你听一个故事。两天前，一个名叫乔治·莱赫米尔的人在这里告诉我。你认识他吗？”

“我似乎听说过他的名字，虽然我说不出在哪里，”他回答道，对她说话时的冷静感到惊讶。

“我相信他是一个农民的儿子，他是一个利益相关者，尽管不是故事的主要演员。首席演员，我想我应该说女演员，是玛莎·贝内特。你认识她？

卡修就像受到了突然的打击一样向后退了一步。他脸色惨白，短促地喘了口气。

“我看你认识她，”她继续说道。 “我想，她是一个可怜的人，她的故事以前经常被讲述。她抛弃了正人君子的爱，把自己交给了小人。他背叛了信任，把她带到美国，然后抛弃了她，她回家等死。她的毁灭者并没有完全逃脱惩罚。他在奇彭纳姆的市场上遭到她父亲和他的朋友的袭击和投掷。你看，这一切都发生在我家附近，那个小人不敢再在县里露面，就把自己的财产都处理掉了。”

“你不相信这个臭名昭著的谎言吗？”卡修嘶哑地说道。

“你怎么知道这是一个臭名昭著的谎言，卡修先生？我没有提到任何名字。我只是告诉你一个你曾经认识的不幸女孩的故事。你的脸是我所能要求的最好的见证。感谢上帝我及时听到了。如果不是因为这个，我可能会傻到给你你想要的答案，因为我承认我喜欢你。我现在确信我不爱你，因为如果我这样做了，我就不会相信这个故事；如果我相信的话，我就会被压垮。但我喜欢你。我发现你比其他男人更讨人喜欢，我什至以为我爱你。如果我不知道这个故事，我可能会嫁给你，成为世上最悲惨的女人，因为一个男人可以对一个倒霉的女孩扮演恶棍，一个可以卑鄙卑鄙的行为，以至于弄坏一艘竞争对手的游艇是一个如此卑鄙、如此可憎的生物，与他结婚的女人的命运确实是悲惨的。

“不要反驳，先生，”她说着从座位上站了起来，脸上充满了愤怒。 “我一直在看着你。我听过这个故事，还听过另一个故事，关于你在亨利的对手的船在比赛前如何被损坏的故事，从我上船的那一刻起我就看着你。我发现你异常自信；我看到你正在注视着什么；当那件事发生时，我看到你脸上闪现出胜利的光芒；我绝对确信，在亨利杯中为你赢得热度的相同基本动作在你的女王杯比赛中也得到了重复。

“先生，我认为您不需要对您的问题有任何更具体的答案。”

“你会后悔的，”他气喘吁吁地说，他的脸因强烈的失望而扭曲。 “我并不反驳你的说法。我这样做是有失身份的。但有一天你可能会后悔自己做了这些。”

“我可以告诉你，”她转身说，“我无意公开我昨天了解到的你的行为。除了我自己的绝对信念和我对你过去的了解之外，我没有任何证据。”

他没有回头看，而是快步沿着花园走去。半小时后，幻影号起锚，驶向南安普敦水域。除了下达必要的起航命令外，卡修一言不发，直到她在码头抛锚，然后他立即上岸，乘坐下一班开往城镇的火车，出发前发了一封电报。

当他回到家时，他简短地问仆人康金先生是否来了。

“是的先生。他在餐厅等你。”

“嗯，卡修，事情进展得怎么样了？我今天早上从报纸上看到，你们赢得了奖杯，而且鱼鹰的尾撑在正确的时间爆炸了，而且由于发现存在谋杀行为而引起了巨大的轰动。

“怎么了，你怎么了？你看起来像雷雨云一样黑。”

“这也不足为奇。我赢得了比赛，但我失去了那个女孩。”

“你有的。”哎呀，我以为你对此很确定呢。”

“所以我做了;如果没有某个可恶的家伙出现，告诉她我的一件旧事，我以为三四年前已经被埋葬和遗忘了，那一切都会顺利进行。正如她所说，我的脸就是这个故事真实性的最好证据，这让我大吃一惊。不仅如此，她还宣称她知道我对鱼鹰的生意处于最底层。然而，她没有这方面的证据；但另一个故事对我来说很重要，游戏在那个季度就结束了。从来没有这么倒霉过。她几乎告诉我，如果我在她听到这个故事之前向她求婚，她就会答应的。”

“她没有机会改变主意吗？”

“不是废品。”

“这对你来说是一件尴尬的事情。”

“太尴尬了。是的，我只剩下一万五千了，除非古德伍德的事情进展顺利，否则我就会被淘汰。我心想，如果我娶了这个女孩，一切都会好起来的。最近事情变得很糟糕。”

“是啊，你的运气真是太糟糕了。看来，凭借我们所付出的努力，以及我通过贿赂骑师等方式为你们扫清障碍的方式，我们确实应该赚大钱。当然，我们确实取得了一些好成绩，但其他一些我们认为安全并大力投入的事情，结果都是错误的。”

“好吧，除非正如我所说，古德伍德一切顺利，否则我除了穿越英吉利海峡之外别无他法。”

“我不应该对此感到紧张，因为除非有黑马，否则我确信你的罗斯尼已经掌握了比赛的主动权。”

“是的，我也确信这一点。整个赛季我们都让他留在后面，甚至从来没有让他获得一个位置。这应该是确定的。”

然后他们默默地坐了一会儿抽烟。

“天哪，我真想把她带走。”卡修突然说道。 “这是我能想到的解决问题的唯一方法。她承认在听到这个该死的故事之前她就喜欢我了，如果我拥有她，我毫不怀疑我能让她再次喜欢我。”

“在我们这个时代，带走一个女人是一件很危险的事情，”康克林若有所思地说，“而且显然是一件很难做到的事情。我不知道你将如何着手处理这件事，也不知道你到底会对她做什么，也不知道当你得到她后你会把她放在哪里。卡修，我曾经为你做过一些相当冒险的事情，但我不应该介意尝试这样做。我们可能都会发现自己要度过七年。”

“好吧，你得到一匹马就得得到那么多钱，而且我不知道你不会因为贿赂骑师而得到同样的钱。尽管如此，我认为这是一件异常困难的事情。”

五分钟内没有再说什么。然后康克林突然打破了沉默。

“天哪，我应该说游艇就是这样的。”

“这是个好主意，吉姆；如果能够实现的话，这是一个一流的想法。这需要很多阴谋，但我不明白为什么不应该这样做。如果我能让她上船，我就可以随时和她一起航行，直到她屈服为止。”

“你必须招募新的船员，卡修。我怀疑你的同伴能否承受得住。”

“不，我想他们中的一些人可能会踢。无论如何，我不会相信他们。不，我应该找一个新的团队。外国人是最好的，但幻影号与外国船员一起巡航会显得不寻常。此外，我几乎在每个我应该派往的港口都认识人。”

“你就不能改变她的装备，或者类似的东西，这样她就不会被认出来吗？在我看来，如果你要把她带到某个外国港口，付清那里的船员费用并送他们回家，然后对她进行改造并运送外国船员，你可以随心所欲地航行，尤其是在国外，没有一个灵魂变得更明智；这个女孩迟早必须屈服，如果她不屈服，你就可以强迫她。”

“这是一个伟大的想法，吉姆。是的，如果我一旦让我的女士上船，你可以肯定她迟早会答应的。我不常原谅，如果能让她为今天早上对我的训斥付出代价，那将是一种胜利。此外，我真的很喜欢她，我可以原谅她的那次爆发，我想这是我们结婚后很自然的事情，我们没有理由不能相处得很好。

“我告诉你吧，我明天第一件事就是去南安普顿，然后立即航行到奥斯坦德。在那里我会付钱给她，改变她的装备，并运送新的船员。我将从银行取钱。如果一切顺利的话，我会再次被安排。如果他们进展不顺利，在结算日，塔特索尔的人会长着一张脸，但我会离开，如果我们必须在她屈服之前航行几年，或者加倍，这笔钱就足够了。

“我将尝试一段时间的温和措施；非常尊重和悔改等等。如果一段时间后我发现这对她不起作用，我必须尝试威胁会做什么。无论如何，她不会离开，直到她上岸结婚，或者更安全的是，直到我能在船上找到一位牧师在那里为我们结婚。你愿意和我们一起去吗？”

“如果事情发生了，我会最高兴的。”

“你必须帮我把她带走，吉姆，当她签下伯莎·卡修的名字时，我会给你几千英镑。”

“这很划算，”该男子说道。 “如果我们能想出一些办法把她带走的话，这完全是一个好计划。”

“在我们知道她会在哪里之前，想这个是没有用的。我目前不知道该怎么做，但我知道只要有人能想到，总会有办法的。你每天都会给我发电报，无论是Poste Restante、Ostend还是我停靠的任何地方。我一到那里就会直接把我住的酒店的名字发给你。你最好立即派人去赖德，让你知道她在做什么，以及她什么时候进城；他们很可能暂时不会来，但可能会乘坐马利特的游艇去巡游，就像去年秋天那样。不管怎样，请告诉我，如果我发电报叫你过来，就乘下一艘船过去。

“一旦那里的生意进展顺利，我很可能就会撞倒自己；但如果可以的话，我当然会留在那里。如果我在场推动事情的话，我应该可以用一半的时间完成任务。当然，你会跑下来看看马跑得怎么样，收集任何你能找到的信息，然后告诉我。”

“我会把它交给好人处理，卡修。我最好留在这儿，看看塔特索尔的事。然后我可以每天向您通报情况，并在收到您的电报后立即准备开始。但是，当然，在比赛结束之前你不会做任何事情。”

“不，我对罗斯尼感到尽可能的安全，但即使他赢了，我也会实现我的想法。我已经受够了这片草皮，我的手指也被它烫伤了，我会很高兴再次安定下来，成为一名乡村绅士。如果我输了，我将在离开球场之前私下出售我所有的马匹。这应该能为我的旅行带来另外七八千英镑的收入。”

“幻影号正在起航，”船长说道，他在甲板上来回走动，靠近弗兰克。

“原来如此。”不到一个小时前我看到她的主人上岸了。”

“是的;五分钟前他又上船了。他一上甲板，伙计们就开始忙碌起来。我真希望只要我们还在这里，他们就不会再进来了。这些手像公牛一样野蛮，虽然他们记得你告诉他们的话，而且昨晚岸上没有发生任何争吵，但当我们不在与幻影号同一个港口时，我会很高兴，因为我确信如果每个船员都有两三个人去同一个酒吧，很快就会发生战斗。我真的不能责怪他们。输掉这样一场比赛而不感到非常痛苦，这不符合人类的本性。我希望她已经下班了无论如何，由于我们今晚要去考斯，两手可能会互相对抗还需要一两天的时间，这会让他们有时间冷静下来。

“有一件事。我打赌幻影不会在考斯与我们对抗。如果我们在那里给他们一顿漂亮的殴打，那就会向所有人表明，如果没有这次事故，他们就没有机会赢得奖杯。”

“不，我不认为我们这个赛季会再次见面，事实上，我不知道我自己会再参加比赛，除了我会觉得参加中队的公开比赛是一种责任。

“我认为，根据她所铺设的航线，幻影号正在前往南安普顿。也许她会在那里遇见某个人。无论如何，在我们出发前往考斯之前，她不太可能回来。”

弗兰克手里拿着那张纸坐了一会儿，尽管他偶尔瞥一眼，但他的脑子里什么也没考虑到。他一次又一次地注视着幻影。是的，她肯定要去南安普敦水厂。

从伯莎前一天晚上对他说的话来看，他强烈希望她会拒绝卡修。没有什么比那天早上他刚从胜利中恢复过来就应该上岸向她提出这个问题更可能的了，而他的迅速返回和他一上甲板就下令起航无疑表明了这样一个事实：她拒绝了他。

弗兰克心中的忧虑似乎被解除了。从一开始，当他发现卡修是格林代尔夫人家的客人时，他就一直感到不舒服。他了解这个人坚忍不拔的本性，也认识到他在需要时能够取悦他人的力量。他很满意，当他自己被拒绝时，据她所知，伯莎给他的理由是真实的。但他后来想到，虽然她自己没有怀疑，但她可能在某种程度上受到了卡修的影响。当她拒绝了两次平常的提议时，他几乎确信卡修在时机成熟时会得到更有利的答复。但有几次他在社交场合看到他们在一起时，他曾仔细观察过他们，而且，正如他在其他时候感觉到的那样，他离开时有些困惑，并对自己说：

“她被他的举止迷住了，就像任何女孩一样，但我怀疑她是否爱他。”

然而，这种印象总是很快就消失了，不知怎的，他已经毫无疑问地接受了普遍的看法，即当卡修求婚时，她会接受他。他已经做好了准备，要么让她嫁给一个无赖，要么采取让他更反感的一步，这可能会导致他与格林代尔一家的友谊完全破裂，也就是告诉他们这个故事。因此，他很高兴地发现伯莎自己在没有他干预的情况下解决了这个难题，并对那次让他失去女王杯的事故感到万分感激，但同时也让伯莎看清了这个人的真实性格。两点过后不久，他乘平底艇上岸，半点时格林代尔夫人和伯莎下来了。

“鱼鹰看起来就像一只被剪掉翅膀的鸟，”他一边说，一边把它们递进船上。 “虽然男人们已经尽可能把一切收拾得井井有条，但缺少的两根桅杆还是破坏了她的外表。”

“这根本不重要，弗兰克，”格林代尔夫人说。 “我们知道她处于最佳状态时的样子。我们将享受她安静的航行，就像她处于苹果派秩序中一样。”

“格林代尔夫人，你看起来很疲惫，尽管你已经习惯了城里的欢乐。”

格林代尔夫人确实看起来疲惫而忧心忡忡。在过去的两三天里，伯莎的态度让她感到困惑，并让她产生了一些隐隐约约的焦虑。那天早上，女孩从花园里回来，告诉她，她刚刚拒绝了卡修先生，虽然她对伯莎嫁给他的想法从来没有感到高兴，但这种拒绝还是令人震惊。

就她个人而言，她喜欢他。她相信他过得很好，但她期望伯莎能过得更好，而且她决不赞同他对草皮的喜爱。她对这个女孩拒绝奇尔森勋爵深感失望，因为她已经下定了决心。第二个报价也很不错。尽管如此，她还是接受了伯莎嫁给卡修的想法。他与圈子的联系无疑让他结识了很多好男人，到处都能见到他，她难怪伯莎会被他英俊的外表和才华横溢的谈吐所吸引。那么，她的拒绝不仅让她感到绝对的惊讶，而且让她震惊。

她认为伯莎确实给了他以及其他人一个理由，让他相信她打算接受他。她的许多亲密朋友都对她说，好像这件事已经解决了，当人们知道伯莎拒绝了他时，她就会被视为调情者，这肯定会损害她做出这种选择的前景。她想要的比赛。她把这一切都跟女孩说了，得到的却是这样的答复：

“我知道我在做什么，妈妈。我能理解你认为我要嫁给他。我自己也是这么想的，但是发生了一些事情让我大开眼界，我有充分的理由对此表示感激。我敢说你认为我的行为很糟糕，我很抱歉；但我确信我现在正在做的事情。”

“What have you discovered, Bertha? I don’t understand you at all.”

“I don’t suppose you do, mamma. I cannot tell you what it is. I told him that I would not tell anybody.”

“But you don’t seem to mind, Bertha; that is what puzzles me. A girl who has made up her mind to accept a man, and who finds out something that seems to her so bad that she rejects him, would naturally be distressed and upset. You seem to treat it as if it were a matter of no importance.”

“I don’t quite understand it myself, mamma. I suppose that my eyes have been opened altogether. At any rate, I feel that I have had a very narrow escape. I was certainly very much worried when I first learned about this, two days ago, and I was even distressed; but I think that I have got over the worry, and I am sure that I have quite got over the distress.”

“Then you cannot have cared for him,” Lady Greendale said, emphatically.

“That is just the conclusion that I have arrived at myself, mamma,” Bertha said, calmly. “I certainly thought that I did, and now I feel sure that I was mistaken altogether.”

Lady Greendale could say nothing further.

“I had better send off a note to Frank, my dear,” she said, plaintively. “Of course you are not thinking of going out sailing after this.”

“Indeed, I am, mamma. Why shouldn’t we? Of course I am not going to say anything here of what has happened. If he chooses to talk about it he can, but I don’t suppose that he will. It is just the end of the season, and we need not go back to town at all, and next spring everyone will have forgotten all about it. You know what people will say: ‘I thought that Greendale girl was going to marry Carthew. I suppose nothing has come of it. Did she refuse him I wonder, or did he change his mind?’ And there will be an end of it. The end of the season wipes a sponge over everything. People start afresh, and, as somebody says—Tennyson, isn’t it? or Longfellow?––they ‘let the dead past bury its dead.'”

Lady Greendale lifted her hands in mild despair, put on her things, and went down to the boat with Bertha.

“I have brought a book, mamma,” the latter said as they went down. “I shall tell Frank about this, though I shall tell no one else. I always knew that he did not like Mr. Carthew. So you can amuse yourself reading while we are talking.”

“You are a curious girl, Bertha,” her mother said, resignedly. “I used to think that I understood you; now I feel that I don’t understand you at all.”

“I don’t know that I understand myself, mamma, but I know enough of myself to see that I am not so wise as I thought I was, and somebody says that ‘When you first discover you are a fool it is the first step towards being wise,’ or something of the sort.

“There is Major Mallett standing at the landing, and there is the gig. I think that she is the prettiest boat here.”

The mainsail was hoisted by the time they reached the side of the yacht, and the anchor hove short, so that in two or three minutes they were under way.

“She looks very nice,” Lady Greendale said. “I thought that she would look much worse.”

“You should have seen her yesterday, mamma, when we passed her, with the jagged stumps of the topmast and bowsprit and all her ropes in disorder, the sails hanging down in the water and the wreckage alongside. I could have cried when I saw her. At any rate, she looks very neat and trim now.

“Where is the Phantom, Major Mallett?”

“She got under way at eleven o’clock, and has gone up to Southampton,” he replied, quietly, but with a half-interrogatory glance towards her.

She gave a little nod, and took a chair a short distance from that in which Lady Greendale had seated herself.

“Has he gone for good?” Frank asked, as he sat down beside her.

“Of course he has,” she said. “You don’t suppose, after what I told you last night, that I was going to accept him.”

“I hoped not,” he said, gravely. “You cannot tell what a relief it has been to me. Of course, dear, you will understand that so long as you were to marry a man who would be likely to make you happy I was content, but I could not bear to think of your marrying a man I knew to be altogether unworthy of you.”

“You know very well,” she said, “that you never intended to let me marry him. As I said to you last night, I feel very much aggrieved, Major Mallett. You had said you would be my friend, and yet you let this go on when you could have stopped it at once. You let me get talked about with that man, and you would have gone on letting me get still more talked about before you interfered. That was not kind or friendly of you.”

“But, Bertha,” he remonstrated, “the fact that we had not been friends, and that he had beaten me in a variety of matters, was no reason in the world why I should interfere, still less why you should not marry him. When I was stupid enough to tell you that story, years ago, I stated that I had no grounds for saying that it was he who played that trick upon my boat, and it would have been most unfair on my part to have brought that story up again.”

“Quite so, but there was the other story.”

“What other story?” Frank asked in great surprise.

“The story that George Lechmere came and told me two days ago,” she said, gravely.

“George Lechmere! You don’t mean to say—”

“I do mean to say so. He behaved like a real friend, and came to tell me the story of Martha Bennett.

“He told me,” she went on, as he was about to speak, “that you had made up your mind to tell mamma about it, directly you heard that I was engaged to Mr. Carthew. That would have been something, but would hardly have been fair to me. If I had once been engaged to him, it would have been very hard to break it off, and naturally it would have been much greater pain to me then than it has been now.”

“I felt that. But you see, Bertha, until you did accept him, I had no right to assume that you would do so. At least so I understood it, and I did not feel that in my position I was called upon to interfere until I learned that you were really in danger of what I considered wrecking your life’s happiness.”

“I understand that,” she said, gently, “and I know that you acted for the best. But there are other things you have not told me, Major Mallett—other things that George Lechmere has told me. Did you think that it would have been of no interest to me to know that you had forgiven the man who tried to take your life; and, more than that, had restored his self respect, taken him as your servant, treated him as a friend?”

The tears stood in her eyes now.

“Don’t you think, Frank, that was a thing that I might have been interested to know—a thing that would raise you immeasurably in the eyes of a woman––that would show her vastly more of your real character than she could know by meeting you from day to day as a friend?”

“It was his secret and not mine, Bertha. It was known to but him and me. Never was a man more repentant or more bitterly regretful for a fault––that was in my eyes scarcely a fault at all—except that he had too rashly assumed me to be the author of the ruin of the girl he loved. The poor fellow had been half maddened, and was scarce responsible for his actions. He had already suffered terribly, and the least I could do was to endeavour to restore his self respect by showing him that I had entirely forgiven him. Any kindness that I have shown him he has repaid ten-fold, not only by saving my life, but in becoming my most sincere and attached friend. I promised him that I would tell no one, and I have never done so, and no one to this day knows it, save his father and mother.

“How then could I tell even you? You must see yourself that it was impossible that I could tell you. Besides, the story was of no interest save to him and me; and above all, as I said, it was his secret and not mine.”

“I see that now,” she said. “Still, I am so sorry, so very sorry, that I did not know it before.

“You see, Frank,” she went on, after a pause; “we women have to make or unmake our lives very much in the dark. No one helps us, and if we have not a brother to do so, we are groping in the dark. Look at me. Here was I, believing that Mr. Carthew, whom I met everywhere in society, was, except that he kept race horses and bet heavily, as good as other men. He was very pleasant, very good looking, generally liked, and infinitely more amusing than most men one meets. How was I to tell what he really was?

“On the other hand, there were you, my dear friend, who, I knew, had shown yourself a very brave soldier, and whom also everyone liked and spoke well of, but of whose real character I did not know much, except on the side that was always presented to me; and now I find you capable of what I consider a grand act of generosity.”

“You overrate the matter altogether, Bertha. The man shot me by mistake. The fellow he took me for richly deserved shooting. When he found it was a mistake, the poor fellow was bitterly sorry for it. Surely, there was nothing more to be said about it.”

The girl sat silent for some time.

“Well, it is all cleared up now,” she said at last. “There is no reason why we should not be friends as of old.”

“None whatever,” he said. “There has been only—” and he stopped short.

“Only what, Frank?”

“Nothing,” he said. “We will be just as we were, Bertha. I will try and be the good elder brother, and scold you and look after you, and warn you, if it should be necessary, until you get under other guidance.”

“It will be some time,” she said, quietly, “before that happens. I have had a sharp lesson.”

“And did you really care for him much, Bertha?”

“I don’t think that I really cared for him at all,” she said. “That is not the lesson that I was thinking of.”

He saw the colour mount into her cheeks as she twisted the handkerchief she held into a knot. Then, turning to him, she said:

“Frank, are you never going to give me a chance again?”

He could not misunderstand her.

“Do you mean—can you mean, Bertha?” he said, in a low tone. “Do you mean that if I ask you the same question again you will give me a different answer?”

“I did not know then,” she said. “I had never thought of it. You took me altogether by surprise, and what I said I thought was true. Afterwards I knew that I had been mistaken. I hoped that you would ask me again, but you did not, and I soon felt that you never would. You tried hard to be as you were before, but you were not the same, and I was not the same. Then I did not seem to care. There were three men who wanted me. I did not care much which it was, but I would not have anyone say that I had married for position—I hated the idea of that—and so I would have taken the third. He was bright and pleasant, and all that sort of thing, and I thought that I could be happy with him, until George Lechmere opened my eyes. Then, of course, that was over; but his story showed me still more what a fool I had been, what a heart I had thrown away, and I said, ‘I will at least make an effort to undo the past. I will not let my chance of happiness go away from me merely from false pride. If he loves me still he will forgive me. If not, at least I shall not, all through my life, feel that I might have made it different could I have brought myself to speak a word.'”

“I love you as much as ever,” Frank said, taking her hand. “I love you more for speaking as you have. I can hardly believe my happiness. Can it be that you really love me, Bertha?”

“I think I have proved it, Frank. I do love you. I have known it for some time, but it seemed all too late. It was a grief rather than a pleasure. Every time you came it was a pain to me, for I felt that I had lost you; and it was only when I learned, two days ago, how you could forgive, and that at the same time I could free myself from the chain I had allowed to be wound round me, and which I don’t think I could otherwise have broken, that I made up my mind that it should not be my fault if things were not put right between us.

“Now let us tell mother.”

Her hand was still in his, and they went across the deck together.

“Mamma,” she said, “please put down that book. I have a piece of news for you. Frank and I are going to be married.”

Lady Greendale sat for a moment, speechless in astonishment. She knew that Bertha had wished to tell him that she had refused Carthew’s offer, but that this would come of it she had never dreamt. A year before she had approved of Bertha’s rejection of Frank, but since then much had happened. Bertha had shown that she would not marry for position only, and that she would be likely to take her own way entirely in the matter; and, although this was a downfall to the hopes that she had once entertained, Lady Greendale was herself very fond of Frank, and it was at any rate better than having Bertha marry a man of whose real means she was ignorant, and who, as everyone knew, bet heavily on the turf. These ideas flashed rapidly through her mind, and holding out one hand to each, she said:

“There is no one to whom I could more confidently entrust her happiness, Frank. God bless you both.”

Then she betook herself to her pocket handkerchief, for her tears came easily, and on this occasion she herself could hardly have said whether they were the result of pleasure in Bertha’s happiness, or regret at the downfall of the air castles she had once built.

“I think, Bertha, our best plan will be to go below now,” Frank suggested, quietly.

“What for?” Bertha asked, shyly.

The thing had been done. She felt radiantly happy, but more shocked at her own boldness than she had been when she perpetrated it.

“Well, my dear, I thought that perhaps you would rather not kiss me in sight of the whole crew, and certainly I shan’t be able to restrain myself much longer.”

“Then, in that case,” she said, demurely, “perhaps we had better go below.”

It was half an hour before they came on deck again.

“Well, my dears,” Lady Greendale said, “the more I think of it the better I am pleased. As far as I am concerned, nothing could be nicer. I shall have Bertha within a short drive of me, and it won’t be like losing her.

“Do you know, Bertha, your father said to me once, ‘I would give anything if some day Frank Mallett and our Bertha were to take a fancy to each other. There is nothing I should like more than to have her settled near us, and there is no one I know more likely to make her happy than he would be.’ I am sure, dear, that you will be glad to know that your engagement would have had his approval, as it has mine.”

Bertha bent down and kissed her mother, with tears standing in her eyes.

“It will be a great pleasure to us both to have you so near us,” Frank said, earnestly. “You know that, having lost my own mother so long ago, I have always looked upon you as more of a mother than anyone else, and have always felt almost as much at home in your house as in my own.

“Now, let us sit down and talk it over quietly. In the first place, I propose that on Monday, when you leave Lord Haverley’s, you shall both come here for a time. The Solent will be very pleasant for the next fortnight, and we can then take a fortnight’s cruise west, and, if you like, land at Plymouth, and go straight home.”

“I should be very glad,” Lady Greendale said at once, rejoiced at the thought that she would thus avoid the necessity of answering any questions about Bertha; “and there will be no occasion at all to speak of this at my cousin’s. There might be all sorts of questions asked, and expressions of surprise, and so on. It will be quite time enough to write to our friends after we have been comfortably settled at home for a time. We can talk over all that afterwards.”

“Yes, and I should think, Lady Greendale, that it would save the trouble of two letters if, while mentioning that Bertha is engaged to your neighbour, Major Mallett, you could add that the marriage will come off in the course of a few weeks.

“Don’t you think so, Bertha?”

“Certainly not,” she said, saucily. “It will be quite time to talk about that a long time hence.”

“Well, I will put off talking about it for a short time, but, you see, I have had a year’s waiting already.”

Very pleasant was the three hours’ cruise. No one gave a thought of the missing topmast and bowsprit. There was a nice sailing breeze, and, clipped as her wings were, the Osprey was still faster than the majority of the yachts.

As soon as the two ladies had been put ashore, Frank sailed for Cowes. It was too late when they got there for anything to be done that evening, but Frank went ashore with the captain, and found that the spars were all ready to receive the iron work and sheaves from the old ones; and as these had been towed up to the yard to be in readiness, Messieurs White promised that they would arrange for a few hands to come to work early, and that the spars should be brought off by half-past eight on Monday morning.

As soon as he had returned in the gig, after putting the ladies ashore at Ryde, Frank had called George Lechmere to him.

“It is all right, George, thanks to your interview with Miss Greendale. It was a bold step to take, but it was the best possible thing, and succeeded splendidly, and everything is to be as I wish it.”

“I am glad, indeed, to hear it, Major, and I hoped that you would have something of the sort to tell me. There was a look about you both that I took to mean that things were going on well.”

“Yes, George. At first, when she told me that you had told her about that affair at Delhi, I felt that there was really no occasion for you to have said anything about it; but it did me a great deal of good. She made much more of it than there was any occasion for; but, you know, when women are inclined to take a pleasant view of a thing, they will magnify molehills into mountains.”

“I thought that it would do good, Major. I don’t mean that it would do you any good, but that it would do good generally. I had to tell the other story, and that came naturally with it; and, at any rate, she could not but see that there was a deal of difference between the nature of the man who had been so good to me, and that of that scoundrel.”

“That is just the effect it did have. Well, don’t say anything about it forward, at present. The men shall be told later on.”

By one o’clock on Monday the Osprey was back at Ryde, and at two o’clock the dinghy went ashore with the mate and two of the hands, who waited a quarter of an hour till a vehicle brought down the ladies’ luggage. Soon afterwards Frank went ashore in the gig, and brought Lady Greendale and Bertha off.

As they went down to their cabin, Bertha, looking into the saloon, saw George Lechmere preparing the tea tray to bring it up on deck. She at once went to him.

“I did not thank you before,” she said, holding out her hand; “but I thank you now, and shall thank you all my life. You did me the greatest service.”

“I am glad, indeed, Miss Greendale, that it was so; for I know that the Major would never have been a happy man if this had not come about.”

For the next fortnight the Osprey was cruising along the coast, getting as far as Torquay, and returning to Cowes. Frank did not enter her for any of the races. Lady Greendale, although a fair sailor, grew nervous when the yacht heeled over far, and even Bertha did not care for racing, the memory of the last race being too fresh in her mind for her to wish to take part in another for the present.

“That is an uncommonly pretty trading schooner, Bertha,” Frank Mallett said, as he rose from his chair to get a better look at a craft that was passing along to the eastward. “I suppose she must be in the fruit trade, and must just have arrived from the Levant. I should not be surprised if she had been a yacht at one time. She is not carrying much sail, but she is going along fast. I think they would have done better if they had rigged her as a fore-and-aft schooner instead of putting those heavy yards on the foremast. That broad band of white round her spoils her appearance; her jib boom is unusually long, and she must carry a tremendous spread of canvas in light winds. I should think that she must be full up to the hatches, for she is very low in the water for a trader.”

The Osprey was lying in the outside tier of yachts off Cowes. The party that had been on board her for the regatta had broken up a week before, and only Lady Greendale and Bertha remained on board. The former had not been well for some days, and had had her maid down from town as soon as the cabins were empty. It had been proposed, indeed, that she and Bertha should return to town, but, being unwilling to cut short the girl’s pleasure, she said that she should do better on board than in London; and, moreover, she did not feel equal to travelling. She was attended by a doctor in Cowes, and the Osprey only took short sails each day, generally down to the Needles and back, or out to the Nab.

“Yes, she is a nice-looking boat,” Bertha agreed, “and if her sails were white and her ropes neat and trim, she would look like a yacht, except for those big yards.”

“Her skipper must be a lubber to have the ropes hanging about like that. Of course, he may have had bad weather in crossing the bay, but if he had any pride in the craft, he might at least have got her into a good deal better trim while coming in from the Needles. Still, all that could be remedied in an hour’s work, and certainly she is as pretty a trader as ever I saw. How did your mother seem this afternoon, Bertha?”

“About the same, I think. I don’t feel at all anxious about her, because I have often seen her like this before. I think really, Frank, that she is quite well enough to go up to town; but she knows that I am enjoying myself so much that she does not like to take me away. I have no doubt that she will find herself better by Saturday, when, you know, we arranged some time back that we would go up. You won’t be long before you come, will you?”

“Certainly not. Directly you have landed I shall take the Osprey to Gosport, and lay her up there. I need not stop to see that done. I can trust Hawkins to see her stripped and everything taken on shore; and, of course, the people at the yard are responsible for hauling her up. I shall probably be in town the same evening; but, if you like, and think that your mother is only stopping for you, we will go across to Southampton at once.”

“Oh, no, I am sure that she would not like that; and I don’t want to lose my last three days here. Of course, when we get home at the end of next week, and you are settled down there, too, you will be a great deal over at Greendale, but it won’t be as it is here.”

“Not by a long way. However, we shall be able to look forward to the spring, Bertha, when I shall have you all to myself on board, and we shall go on a long cruise together; though I do think that it is ridiculous that I should have to wait until then.”

“Not at all ridiculous, sir. You say that you are perfectly happy—and everyone says that an engagement is the happiest time in one’s life—and besides, it is partly your own fault; you have made me so fond of the Osprey that I have quite made up my mind that nothing could possibly be so nice as to spend our honeymoon on board her, and to go where we like, and to do as we like, without being bothered by meeting people one does not care for. And, besides, if you should get tired of my company, we might ask Jack Harley and Amy to come to us for a month or so.”

“I don’t think that it will be necessary for us to do that,” he laughed. “Starting as we shall in the middle of March, we shan’t find it too hot in the Mediterranean before we turn our head homewards; and I think we shall find plenty to amuse us between Gibraltar and Jaffa.”

“No, three months won’t be too much, Frank. Tomorrow is the dinner at the clubhouse, isn’t it?”

“Yes. I should be sorry to miss that, for having only been just elected a member of the Squadron, I should like to put in an appearance at the first set dinner.”

“Of course, Frank. I certainly should not like you to miss it.”

The next evening Frank went ashore to dine at the club. An hour and a half later a yacht’s boat came off.

“I have a note for Miss Greendale,” the man in the stern said, as she came alongside; “I am to give it to her myself.”

Bertha was summoned, and, much surprised, came on deck.

The man handed up the note to her. She took it into the companion, where a light was burning; her name and that of the yacht were in straggling handwriting that she scarcely recognised as Frank’s.

她把它撕开了。

“My Darling: I have had a nasty accident, having been knocked down just as I landed. I am at present at Dr. Maddison’s. I wish you would come ashore at once. It is nothing very serious, but if you did not see me you might think that it was. Don’t agitate your mother, but bring Anna with you. The boat that brings this note will take you ashore.”

Bertha gave a little gasp, and then summoning up her courage, ran down into the cabin.

“Mamma, dear, you must spare me and Anna for half an hour. I have just had a note from Frank. He has been knocked down and hurt. He says that it is nothing very serious, and he only writes to me to come ashore so that I can assure myself. I won’t stop more than a quarter of an hour. If I find that he is worse than I expect, I will send Anna off to you with a message.”

Scarcely listening to what her mother said in reply, she ran into her cabin, told Anna to put on her hat and shawl to go ashore with her, and in a minute descended to the boat with her maid. It was a four-oared gig, and the helmsman had taken his place in the stern behind them.

Bertha sat cold and still without speaking. She was sure that Frank must be more seriously hurt than he had said, or he would have had himself taken off to the yacht instead of to the surgeon’s. The shaky and almost illegible handwriting showed the difficulty he must have had in holding the pencil.

The boat made its way through the fleet till it reached the shallow water which they had to cross on their way to the shore. Here, with the exception of a few small craft, the water was clear of yachts.

Suddenly the long line of lights along the shore disappeared, and something thick, heavy and soft fell over Bertha’s head. An arm was thrown round her, and Anna pressed tightly against her. In vain she struggled. There was a faint, strange smell, and she lost consciousness.

An hour passed without her return to the yacht, and Lady Greendale began to fear that she had found Frank too ill to leave, and had forgotten to send Anna back with the message. At last she touched the bell.

“Will you tell the captain that I want to speak to him?”

“Captain,” she said. “I am much alarmed about Major Mallett. That boat that came off here an hour ago brought a note for my daughter, saying that he had been hurt, and she went ashore with her maid to see him. She said that she would be back in a short time, and that if she found that he was badly hurt she would send her maid back with a message to me. She has been gone for more than an hour, and I wish you would take a boat and go ashore, find out how the Major is, and bring me back word at once. He is at Dr. Maddison’s. You know the house.”

The skipper hurried away with a serious face. A little more than a minute after he had left the cabin Lady Greendale heard the rattle of the blocks of the falls. The boat was little more than half an hour away. Lady Greendale, in her anxiety, had told the steward to let her know when it was coming alongside, and went up on deck to get the news as quickly as possible.

“It is a rum affair altogether, my lady,” Hawkins said, as he stepped on deck. “I went to the doctor’s, and he has seen nothing whatever of the Major, and Miss Greendale and her maid have not been to his house at all.”

Lady Greendale stood for a moment speechless with surprise and consternation.

“This is most extraordinary,” she said at last. “What can it mean? You are sure that there is no mistake, captain? It was to Dr. Maddison’s house she went.”

“Yes, my lady, there ain’t no mistake about that. I have been there to fetch medicine for you two or three times. Besides, I saw the doctor myself.”

“Major Mallett must have been taken to some other doctor’s,” she said, “and must have made a mistake and put in the name of Dr. Maddison. His house is some little distance from the club. There may be another doctor’s nearer. What is to be done?”

“I am sure I do not know, my lady,” the captain said, in perplexity.

“Where can my daughter and her maid be?” Lady Greendale went on. “They went ashore to go to Dr. Maddison’s.”

“Perhaps, my lady, they might have heard as they went ashore that the Major was somewhere else, or some messenger might have been waiting at the landing stage to take them there direct.”

“That must be it, I suppose; but it is all very strange. I think the best thing, captain, will be for you to go to the club. They are sure to know there about the accident, and where he is. You see, the landing stage is close to the club, and he might have been just going in when he was knocked down—by a carriage, I suppose.”

“Like enough he is at the club still, my lady. At any rate, I will go there in the first place and find out. There is sure to be a crowd about the gates listening to the music––they have got a band over from Newport—so that if they do not know anything at the club, there are sure to be some people outside who saw the accident, and will know where the Major was taken. Anyhow, I won’t come back without news.”

Even to Lady Greendale, anxious and alarmed as she was, it did not seem long before the steward came down with the news that the boat was just alongside. This time she was too agitated to go up. She heard someone come running down the companion, and a moment later, to her astonishment, Frank Mallett himself came in. He looked pale and excited.

“What is all this, Lady Greendale?” he exclaimed. “The skipper tells me that a letter came here saying that I had been hurt and taken to Dr. Maddison’s, and that Bertha and her maid went off at once, and have not returned, though it is more than two hours since they went. I have not been hurt. I wrote no letter to Bertha, but was at dinner at the club when the skipper came for me. What is it all about?”

“I don’t know, Frank. I cannot even think,” Lady Greendale said in an agitated voice. “What can it all mean and where can Bertha be?” and she burst into tears.

“I don’t know. I can’t think,” Frank said, slowly.

He stood silent for a minute or two, and then went on.

“I cannot suggest anything. I will go ashore at once. The waterman at our landing stage must have noticed if two ladies got out there. He could hardly have helped doing so, for it would be curious, their coming ashore alone after dark. Then I will go to the other landing places and ask there. There are always boys hanging about to earn a few pence by taking care of boats. I will be back as soon as I can.”

The boat was still alongside, and the men stretched to their oars. Th a very few minutes they were at the club landing stage. The waterman here declared that no ladies whatever, unaccompanied by gentlemen, had landed after dark.

“I must have seen them, sir,” he said, “for you see I go down to help out every party that arrives here. They must have gone to one of the other landing places.”

But at neither of these could he obtain any information. There were several boys at each of them who had been there for hours, and they were unanimous in declaring that no ladies had landed there after dark at all. He then walked up and down between the watch house and the club.

He had, when he landed, intended to go to the police office as soon as he had inquired at the landing stages––the natural impulse of an Englishman who has suffered loss or wrong—but the more he thought it over the more inexpedient did such a course seem to him. It was highly improbable—indeed, it seemed to him impossible––that they could do more than he had in the matter. The passage of two ladies through the crowded streets would scarcely have attracted the attention of anyone, and any idea of violence being used was out of the question. If they had landed, which he now regarded as very improbable, they must have at least gone willingly to the place where they believed they should find him, and unless every house in Cowes was searched from top to bottom there was no chance of finding them, carefully hidden away as they would be. He could not see, therefore, that the police could at present be of any utility whatever. It might be necessary finally to obtain the aid of the police, but in that case it was Scotland Yard and not Cowes that the matter must be laid before; and even this should be only a last resort, for above all things it was necessary for Bertha’s sake that the matter should be kept a profound secret, and, once in the hands of the police, it would be in all the papers the next day. If the aid of detectives was to be called in, it would be far better to put it into the hands of a private detective.

Having made up his mind upon this point, he returned to the yacht.

“I am sorry to say that I have no news,” he said to Lady Greendale, who was lying on the couch, worn out with weeping. “I have ascertained almost beyond doubt that they did not land at the club stage or either of the other two landing places.”

“What can it be?” she sobbed. “What can have become of them?”

“I am afraid there is little doubt that they have been carried off,” he replied. “I can see no other possible solution of it.”

“But who can have done such a thing?”

“Ah! that is another matter. I have been thinking it over and over, and there is only one man that I know capable of such a dastardly action. At present I won’t mention his name, even to you; but I will soon be on his track. Do not give way, Lady Greendale; even he is not capable of injuring her, and no doubt she will be restored to you safe and sound. But we shall need patience. Ah! there is a boat coming alongside.”

He ran up on deck. It proved, however, to be only a shore boat, bringing off George Lechmere, who, having met a comrade in the town, had asked leave to spend the evening with him. He was, of course, ignorant of all that had happened since he had left, and Frank told him.

“I have no doubt whatever that she has been carried off,” he said, “and there is only one man who could have done it.”

“That villain, Carthew,” George Lechmere exclaimed.

“Yes, he is the man I suspect, George. I heard this evening that he had been hit tremendously hard on the turf at Goodwood. He would think that if he could force Miss Greendale to marry him it would retrieve his fortune, and would, moreover, satisfy his vindictive spirit for the manner in which she had rejected him, and in addition give him another triumph over me.”

“That is it, sir. I have no doubt that that is it. But his yacht is not here—at least I have not seen her.”

“No, I am sure that she is not here; but I believe, for all that, that Miss Greendale must have been taken on board a yacht. They never would have dared to land her in Cowes. Of course, I made inquiries as a matter of form at the landing places, but as she knew the way to Dr. Maddison’s, and as the streets were full of people at the time she landed, they could never have attempted to use violence, especially as she had her maid with her. On the other hand, it would have been comparatively easy to manage it in the case of a yacht. They had but to row alongside, to seize and gag them before they had time to utter a cry, and then to carry them below. The Phantom is not here—at any rate, was not here this afternoon, but there is no reason why Carthew should not have chartered a yacht for the purpose. Ask the skipper to come aft.”

“Captain,” he said, when Hawkins came aft, “what men went ashore this afternoon?”

“Harris and Williams and Marvel, sir. They went ashore in the dinghy, and Harris went to the doctor’s for that medicine.”

“Ask them to come here.”

“Did anyone speak to you, Harris,” he went on, as the three men came aft, “while you were ashore today?—I mean anyone that you did not know.”

“No, sir,” the man said, promptly. “Leastwise, the only chap that spoke to me was a gent as was standing on the steps by the watch house as I went down to the boat, and he only says to me, ‘I noticed you go in to Dr. Maddison’s, my man. There is nothing the matter with my friend, Major Mallett, I hope.’

“‘No, sir,’ says I, ‘he is all right. I was just getting a bottle of medicine for an old lady on board.’

“That was all that passed between us.”

“Thank you, Harris. That is just what I wanted to know.”

After the men had gone forward again, he said to the captain:

“I have a strong conviction, Hawkins, indeed I am almost certain, that Miss Greendale has been carried off to one of the yachts here, but whether it is a large one or a small one I have not the slightest idea. The question is, what is to be done? It is past eleven now, and it is impossible to go round the fleet and make enquiries. Besides, the craft may have made off already. They would have been sure to have placed her in the outside tier, so as to get up anchor as soon as they had Miss Greendale on board.”

“We might get out the boats, sir, and lie off and see if any yachts set sail,” the skipper suggested.

“That would be of no use, Hawkins. You could not stop them. Even if you hailed to know what yacht it was, they might give you a false name.

“One thing I have been thinking of that can be done. I wish, in the first place, that you would ask all the men if anyone has noticed among the yacht sailors in the streets one with the name of the Phantom on his jersey. Some of them may have been paid off, for she has not been raced since Ryde. In any case, I want two of the men to go ashore, the first thing in the morning, and hang about all day, if necessary, in hopes of finding one of the Phantom’s crew. If they do find one, bring him off at once, and tell him that he will be well paid for his trouble.

“By the way, you may as well ask Harris what the gentleman was like who spoke to him at the landing place.”

He walked slowly backwards and forwards with George Lechmere, without exchanging a word, until in five minutes Hawkins returned.

“It was a clean-shaven man who spoke to Harris, sir; he judged him to be about forty. He wore a sort of yachting dress, and he was rather short and thin. About the other matter Rawlins says that he noticed when he was ashore yesterday two of the Phantom’s men strolling about. Being a Cowes man himself, he knew them both, but as they were not alone he just passed the time of day and went on without stopping.”

“Does he know where they live? I don’t think it at all likely they would be on leave now, or that he would find either of them at home tomorrow morning; but it is possible that he might do so. At any rate it is worth trying. It is curious that two of them should be here when we have seen nothing of the Phantom since the race for the cup, unless, of course, her owner has laid her up, which is hardly likely. If she had been anywhere about here she would have entered for the race yesterday.”

“I will send Rawlins and one of the other Cowes men ashore at six o’clock, Major. If they don’t meet the men, they are safe to be able to find out where they live.”

“And tell them and the others, Hawkins, that on no account whatever is a word to be said on shore as to the disappearance of Miss Greendale. It is of great importance that no one should obtain the slightest hint of what has taken place.”

When the captain had again gone forward, Frank went down, and with some difficulty persuaded Lady Greendale to go to bed.

“We can do nothing more tonight,” he said. “You may well imagine that if I saw the least chance of doing any good I should not be standing here, but nothing can be done till morning.”

Having seen her to her stateroom, he returned to the deck, where he had told George Lechmere to wait for him.

“It is enough to drive one mad, George,” he said, as he joined him; “to think that somewhere among all those yachts Miss Greendale may be held a prisoner.”

“I can quite understand that, Major, by what I feel myself. I have seen so much of Miss Greendale, and she has always been so kind to me, knowing that you considered that I had saved your life, and knowing about that other thing, that I feel as if I could do anything for her. And I feel it all the more because it is the scoundrel I owed such a deep debt to before. But I hardly think that she can be on board one of the yachts here.”

“I feel convinced that she is not, George. They could hardly keep her gagged all this time, and at night a scream would be heard though the skylights were closed.”

“No, sir; if she was put on board here I feel sure that they would have got up sail at once.”

“That is just what I feel. Likely enough they had the mainsail already up and the chain short, and directly the boat was up at the davits they would have got up the anchor and been off. They may be twenty miles away by this time; though whether east or west one has no means of even guessing. The wind is nearly due north, and they may have gone either way, or have made for Cherbourg or Havre. It depends partly upon her size. If she is a small craft, they can’t get far beyond that range. If she is a large one, she may have gone anywhere. The worst of it is that unless we can get some clue as to her size we can do absolutely nothing. A good many yachts went off today both east and west, and by the end of the week the whole fleet will be scattered, and even if we do get the size of the yacht, I don’t see that we can do anything unless we can get her name too.

“If we could do that, we could act at once. I should run up to town, lay the case before the authorities at Scotland Yard, and get them to telegraph to every port in the kingdom, that upon her putting in there the vessel was at once to be searched for two ladies who were believed to have been forcibly carried away in her.”

“And have those on board arrested, I suppose, Major?”

“Well, that would have to be thought over, George. Carthew could not be brought to punishment without the whole affair being made public. That is the thing above all others to be avoided.”

“Yes, I see that, sir; and yet it seems hard that he should go off unpunished again.”

“He would not go unpunished, you may be sure,” Frank said, grimly; “for if the fellow ever showed his face in London again, I would thrash him to within an inch of his life. However, sure as I feel, it is possible that I am mistaken. Miss Greendale is known to be an only daughter, and an heiress, and some other impecunious scamp may have conceived the idea of making a bold stroke for her fortune. It is not likely, but it is possible.”

Until morning broke, the two men paced the deck together. Scarcely a word was spoken. Frank was in vain endeavouring to think what course had best be taken, if the search for the men of the phantom turned out unavailing. George was brooding over the old wrong he had suffered, and longing to avenge that and the present one.

“Thank God, the night is over,” Frank said at last; “and I have thoroughly tired myself. I have thought until I am stupid. Now I will lie down on one of the sofas, and perhaps I may forget it all for a few hours.”

Sleep, however, did not come to him, and at seven o’clock he was on deck again.

“The men went ashore at six, sir,” the skipper said. “I expect they will be back again before long.”

Ten minutes later the dinghy came out between two yachts ahead.

“Rawlins is not on board,” the skipper said, as they came close. “I told him to send off the instant they got any news whatever. That is Simpson in the stern.”

“Well, Simpson, what news?” Frank asked as she rowed alongside.

“Well, sir, we have found out as how all the Phantom’s crew are ashore. Some of the chaps told us that they came back a fortnight ago, the crew having been paid off. Rawlins said that I’d better come off and tell you that. He has gone off to look one of them up, and bring him off in a shore boat. He knows where he lives, and I expect we shall have him alongside in a few minutes.”

“Do you think that is good news or bad, sir?” George Lechmere asked.

“I think that it is bad rather than good,” Frank said. “Before, it seemed to me that, whatever the craft was in which she was carried away, she would probably be transferred to the Phantom, which might be lying in Portland or in Dover, or be cruising outside the island, and if I had heard nothing of the Phantom I should have searched for her. However, I suppose that the scoundrel thought that he could not trust a crew of Cowes men to take part in a business like this. But we shall know more when Rawlins comes off.”

In half an hour the shore boat came alongside with Rawlins and a sailor with a Phantom jersey on.

“So you have all been paid off, my lad?” Frank said to the sailor as he stepped on deck.

“Yes sir. It all came sudden like. We had expected that she would be out for another month, at least. However, as each man got a month’s pay, we had nothing to grumble about; although it did seem strange that even the skipper should not have had a hint of what Mr. Carthew intended, till he called him into his cabin and paid him his money.”

“And where is she laid up?”

“Well, sir, she is at Ostend. I don’t know whether she is going to be hauled up there, or only dismantled and left to float in the dock. The governor told the skipper that he thought he might go to the Mediterranean in December, but that till then he should not be able to use her. It seemed a rum thing leaving her out there instead of having her hauled up at Southampton or Gosport, and specially that he should not have kept two or three of us on board in charge. But, of course, that was his affair. Mr. Carthew is rather a difficult gentleman to please, and very changeable-like. We had all made sure that we were going to race here after winning the Cup at Ryde; and, indeed, after the race he said as much to the skipper.”

“Has he anyone with him?” Frank asked.

“Only one gentleman, sir. I don’t know what his name was.”

“他怎么样？”

“He was a smallish man, and thin, and didn’t wear no hair on his face.”

“Thank you. Here is a sovereign for your trouble.

“That is something, at any rate, George,” he went on, as the man was rowed away. “The whole proceeding is a very strange one, and you see the description of the man with Carthew exactly answers to that of the man who found out from the boat’s crew that Dr. Maddison was attending Lady Greendale; and now you see that it is quite possible that the Phantom is somewhere near, or was somewhere near yesterday afternoon. Carthew may have hired a foreign crew, and sailed in her a couple of days after her own crew came over; or he may have hired another craft either abroad or here. At any rate, there is something to do. I will go up to town by the midday train, and then down to Dover, and cross to Ostend tonight.”

“Begging your pardon, Major, could not you telegraph to the harbour master at Ostend, asking if the Phantom is there?”

“I might do that, George, but if I go over there I may pick up some clue. I may find out what hotel he stopped at after the crew had left, and if so, whether he crossed to England or left by a train for France. There is no saying what information I may light on. You stay on board here. You can be of no use to me on the journey, and may be of use here. I will telegraph to you from Ostend. Possibly I may want the yacht to sail at once to Dover to meet me there, or you may have to go up to town to do something for me.

“Now I must go down and tell Lady Greendale as much as is necessary. It will, of course, be the best thing for her to go up to town with me, but if she is not well enough for that, of course she must stay on board.”

Lady Greendale had just come into the saloon when he went down.

“I think I have got a clue—a very faint one,” he said. “I am going up to town at once to follow it up. How are you feeling, Lady Greendale?”

“I have a terrible headache, but that is nothing. Of course, I will go up with you.”

“But do you feel equal to it?”

“Oh, yes, quite,” she said, feverishly. “What is your clue, Frank?”

“Well, it concerns the yacht in which I believe Bertha has been carried off. At any rate, I feel so certain as to who had a hand in it, that I have no hesitation in telling you that it was Carthew.”

“Mr. Carthew! Impossible, Frank. He always seemed to me a particularly pleasant and gentlemanly man.”

“He might seem that, but I happen to know other things about him. He is an unmitigated scoundrel. Of course, not a word must be said about it, Lady Greendale. You see that for Bertha’s sake we must work quietly. It would never do for the matter to get into the papers.”

“It would be too dreadful, Frank. I do think that it would kill me. I will trust it in your hands altogether. I have only one comfort in this dreadful affair, and that is that Bertha has Anna with her.”

“That is certainly a great comfort; and it is something in the man’s favour that when he enticed her from the yacht with that forged letter he suggested that she should bring her maid.”

Frank Mallet and Lady Greendale crossed to Southampton by the twelve o’clock boat, and arrived in London at three.

“I have been thinking,” she said, as they went up, “that it will be better for me to stop in town. I shall have less difficulty in answering questions there than I should have at home. Everyone is leaving now, and in another week there will be scarcely a soul in London I know; and I shall keep down the front blinds, and no one will dream of my being there. I shall only have to mention to Bertha’s own maid that my daughter has remained at Cowes, that I have left Anna with her, and that she can wait upon me until she returns. There will be another advantage in it—you can see me whenever you are in town. I shall get your letters a post quicker when you are away, and you can telegraph to me freely; whereas, if you telegraphed to Chippenham, whoever received the message there might mention its contents as curious to someone or other, and then, of course, it would become a matter of common gossip.”

Frank agreed that it would certainly be better, and more bearable than having to answer questions about Bertha to every visitor who called on her. He crossed that evening to Ostend, and at ten o’clock next morning George Lechmere received the following message:

“Make inquiries as to small brigantine that looked like converted yacht: had very large yards on foremast. I saw her pass Cowes on Tuesday afternoon. Let Hawkins go to Portsmouth and Southampton. Find out yourself whether she anchored between Osborne and Ryde. If not, inquire at Seaview whether she passed there going east. Telegraph result tomorrow morning to my chambers. Shall cross again tonight.”

Lechmere had the gig at once lowered, and started, with four hands at the oars, eastward, while the captain went ashore in the dinghy to leave for Southampton by the next boat. The tide was against Lechmere, who, keeping close in round the point, steered the boat along at the foot of the slopes of Osborne, and kept eastward until he reached the coast-guard station at the mouth of Wootton creek.

“Oh, yes, we noticed her,” the boatswain in charge replied in answer to his question. “We saw her, as you say, on Tuesday afternoon, going east. We could not help noticing her, for she was something out of the way. We should not have thought so much of it, if she had not come back again just before dusk the next day, and anchored a mile to the west. We kept a sharp lookout that night, thinking that she might be trying to smuggle some contraband ashore; but everything was quiet, and next morning she was gone. The man who was on the watch said he thought that he made her out with his night glass going east at about eleven o’clock; but it was a dark night, and it might have been a schooner yacht or a brig.”

“You don’t happen to know whether she stopped at Ryde the first time she passed?”

“Yes; having been all talking about her, we watched to see if she was going to anchor there or keep on to the east. She lowered a boat as she passed, and two men landed. They threw her up into the wind and waited until the boat came off again. The men did not come back in her. They hoisted the boat up again and went east. She stopped off Seaview; then she came back and sent the boat ashore, and two men went off in her. Of course, I can’t say whether they were the same. It was as much as I could do to make out that there were two of them, though our glass is a pretty good one. Is there anything wrong about the craft?”

“Not that I know of; but there was a good deal of curiosity about her among the yachts, she being an out-of-the-way sort of craft; and I fancy there were some bets about her. There was an idea that she was seen going west two days later, and the governor asked me to take the boat and find out whether she had been noticed here or at Ryde. Thank you very much for your information. I have no doubt that it will be sufficient to decide any bets there may be about her.”

So saying, he took his seat in the gig again, and rowed back to the Osprey. The skipper returned in the evening.

“No such craft has gone into Southampton or Portsmouth,” he said; “so I have had my journey for nothing.”

“No, I don’t think you have,” George replied. “It is something to know that she is not in either of the ports now, and has been to neither of them.”

George returned in time to send off a full account of what he had learned from the coast-guardsman by the mail that would be delivered in London that night. On his return to town the next morning, Frank found the letter awaiting him; and at ten o’clock, after wiring to Hawkins and the steward to stock the yacht at once with provisions of all kinds for a long voyage, he went into the city and called upon the secretary at Lloyd’s.

After giving his name, he told him that he believed that a young lady had been carried off forcibly in the craft, which he minutely described, and that he was desirous of having a telegram sent to every signal station between Hull and the Land’s End, asking if such a craft had passed.

“Of course,” he added, “I am ready to defray the expense of the telegrams and replies. She left the Solent late on Wednesday evening, and on Thursday would have been between Beachy Head and Dover, if she had gone that way, and yesterday up the Thames or somewhere between Harwich and Yarmouth.”

“Well, Major Mallett, if you will sit down and write the telegram with the description that you have given, I will send it off at once. Then, if you will call again in an hour’s time, I have no doubt all the answers will have come in.”

“Your craft has gone west,” he said when Frank returned. “All the answers the other way are negative. Saint Catherine says: ‘Craft answering description was seen well out at sea on Thursday morning.’ Portland noticed her in the afternoon, and she was off the Start yesterday morning; the wind was light then; and the Lizard reports seeing her this morning. When abreast of them, she headed south, apparently making a departure, as she could be made out keeping that course as long as seen. These are the four telegrams, so I think that there can be little doubt that she has made for the Mediterranean.”

“Thank you very much indeed,” Frank said. “Can you tell me if I have any chance of getting similar information from the south?”

“You could get it from Finisterre if she passed within sight, but by her holding on as far west as the Lizard, instead of taking a departure from the Start, it is likely that she will take a more westerly course, and then Cape St. Vincent is the first point where she is likely to be noticed. If not there, she would probably be observed at Tarifa, although, if she kept on the southern side of the Straits, she might not be noticed. I should think that she would do so; she would not be likely to put into Gibraltar, although, from what you tell me, the owner would believe that no suspicion whatever of being concerned in this affair would be likely to rest upon him. But you must bear in mind that it is probable that, as a measure of precaution, he has painted out the white streak, sent down the yards, and converted her into a fore-and-aft schooner; in which case she would attract no attention whatever if she passed without making her number.”

“I certainly think that they will convert her back into a schooner yacht, as otherwise there will be a difficulty about papers whenever she enters a port. There is one more thing I wish to ask you. You see, she might not turn into the Mediterranean. She might, for example, make for the West Indies, in which case she would be almost certain to touch at Madeira or Palmas.”

“Or possibly at Teneriffe, Major. Of course, we have an agent at each of these places, and I will gladly request them, if a brigantine or schooner looking like her puts in there, to find out if possible where she is bound for, and to let you know at—shall I say Gibraltar? I am afraid it is of no use trying to get the Portuguese authorities to arrest the ship or to search her. You see, to a certain extent it is an extradition case. Still, I will ask them to get it done if possible, though I fear that it is quite beyond their power.”

“Thank you very much indeed. It would be an immense thing only to find out that she has gone in that direction. Of course, she may not put in at any of these places, as she is sure to have provisioned for a long voyage, but at any rate I will wait at Gibraltar until I get the letters, unless I can get some clue that she has gone up the Mediterranean.

“Of course, if I don’t hear of her at Cape Saint Vincent or Tarifa, I shall try Ceuta and Tangier. If she goes up on the southern side of the Straits, she may anchor off either, and send a boat in to get fresh meat and fruit.”

“The Royal mail and the mail down the African coast will start, one tomorrow, the other on Monday, and I will send letters by them to the islands. They are sure to get there before this craft that you are in search of, and our agents will be on the lookout for her. It may not be long before you hear from Madeira, but it may be some time before you get the other letters, as the craft may be anything between three weeks and five in getting there. Of course, I shall mention when she sailed, and they will not write until all chance of her having arrived is passed.”

“Would you kindly give me the addresses of your three agents? I will wait for the answer from Madeira, but I am afraid my patience will never hold out until the others can come. It will be giving the schooner a fearfully long start as it is, and as you may suppose I shall be almost mad at having to wait and do nothing.”

The secretary wrote the three addresses, and, thanking him very warmly for his kindness and courtesy, Frank went out and despatched a telegram to the skipper, telling him to engage ten extra hands at once, and to buy muskets and cutlasses for the whole crew.

“I shall come down by the twelve o’clock train from town. Be at the steamboat pier to meet me. If all is ready, shall sail at once.”

Having despatched this, he drove at once to Lady Greendale’s, and told her that he had learnt that the craft in which Bertha had been carried off had sailed for the south, probably the Mediterranean, and that he should start that evening in pursuit.

“It may be a long chase, Lady Greendale, but never fear but that I will bring her back safely. It will be for you to decide whether you will continue to remain here, or go down into the country after a time; but, of course, there is no occasion for you to make up your mind now. I must be off at once, for I have several things to do before I catch the twelve o’clock train.”

“God bless you, Frank!” she said. “You are looking terribly worn and fagged.”

“I shall be all right when I am once fairly off,” he said. “I have not had an hour’s sleep for the last two nights, and not much the night before. At first the whole thing seemed hopeless; now that I am fairly on the track and know what I have to do, I shall soon be all right again.”

“I don’t know what I should have done without you, Frank; and I do believe that you will succeed.”

“I have no doubt about it,” he said; “so keep your courage up, mother—for you know that you are almost that to me now.”

He kissed her affectionately, and then hurried downstairs and drove to his chambers.

Here he packed a portmanteau with Indian suits and underclothing, took his pistol and rifle cases, drove to a gunmaker’s in the Strand for a stock of ammunition, called at his bank and cashed a cheque for two thousand pounds, and then drove to Waterloo.

Hawkins and George Lechmere were on the landing stage at Cowes.

“How are things going on, Hawkins?” Frank asked, as he came across the gangway.

“All right, sir. I have had my hands pretty full, sir, since I got your second telegram. Lechmere saw to getting the arms. Of course, he could not help me as to hiring the hands. I think I have got ten first-class men. A few of the yachts have paid off already, and I know something about all of those I have engaged. While I was ashore, the mate looked after getting on board and stowing the goods as they came alongside.”

“Quite right, Hawkins. Did you think of ammunition, George?”

“Yes, Major; I was not likely to forget that. I got twenty-five muskets and cutlasses. Luckily they kept them at Pascal Aikey’s, for the use of steam yachts going out to the east; and they had ammunition too, so I got fifty rounds for each musket. It is not likely that we shall want to use that much, but it is best to be on the right side.”

“I think, sir,” Hawkins said, “as it is going to be a long voyage, and as we have doubled our crew, that I had better get another mate. Purvis is a very good man, but he is no navigator; and we shall have to keep watches regularly. I met an old shipmate of mine just now who would be just the man. He commanded the Amphitrite for ten years, and I know that he is a good navigator. He has been up in the Scotch waters since the spring, and was paid off last week. I told him that it might be that I could give him a berth as second mate, and he jumped at it.”

“By all means, Hawkins; of course you will want an officer for each watch. You can find him without loss of time, I hope.”

“Yes, sir. I have told him to hang about outside the gate here, and I would give him an answer.”

“Very well. When you have seen him you will find me at Aikey’s. I have to go there to get a lot of charts. I have only those for British waters.

“George, do you see to getting these traps down to the boat. I shall be there in a quarter of an hour. Is there anything else that you can think of, or that you want yourself?”

“没事，先生。”

“When you go on board, you may as well get your traps in one of the spare cabins aft.

“You had better move, too, captain. You and one of the mates can have the stern cabin. For the present the other mate can have yours, and the steward can sleep in the saloon. That will make more room for the extra hands forward.”

“It will be a tight stow, sir,” the captain said. “I have ordered ten more hammocks and hooks, but I doubt whether there will be room to sling them all.”

“I am sure there won’t, Hawkins. You had better put the hooks in the saloon beams, and swing five or six of the hammocks there. We can take the hooks out and stop up the holes when we don’t need them any longer. We may be having hot weather before we have done, and I don’t want the men crowded too closely forward.”

Twenty minutes later Frank came down to the boat with the skipper, carrying a large roll of charts, and a man with a handcart containing a bundle of jerseys and caps, and fifty white duck trousers. A large shore boat was alongside when they reached the Osprey.

“Is this the last lot?” the captain asked the man in charge of the pile of casks and boxes with which it was filled.

“Yes, sir, this is the last batch.”

“Get them on deck, Hawkins,” Frank said, “and we can get them down and stowed when we are under sail. Get the anchor short at once, the sail covers off and the mainsail up.

“I don’t want to lose a minute,” he went on, turning to George Lechmere. “I know that an hour or even a day will make no material difference, but I am in a fever to be off.”

“Have you found out which way they have gone, Major?”

“I have found out that they have sailed for the south, but whether for the Mediterranean or for the West Indies or South America I have no idea; but I have some hopes of finding out by the time we get to Gibraltar.”

“And they have got a three days’ start of us?”

“Yes, I can hardly believe that it is not more. It seems to me a fortnight since I went ashore to dine at the club. Three days is a long start, and unless the change of rig has spoiled her, the Phantom is as fast, or very nearly as fast, as we are. We can’t hope to catch her up, unless she stops for two or three days in a port, and that she is certain not to do. No, I don’t think that there is any chance of our overtaking her until she has got to whatever may be her destination. Of course, what Carthew counts upon is that, in time, he will get Miss Greendale to consent to marry him. That is one reason why I think that he will not go up the Mediterranean. The further he takes her the more hopeless the prospect will seem to her.”

“But she will never give in, Major,” George Lechmere said, confidently.

“I have no fear of that—no fear whatever, and we may be quite sure that as long as he thinks that he will be able to tire her out he will show himself in his best light, and try to make everything as pleasant for her as is possible under the circumstances. It is only when he loses all hope of her consenting willingly that he will show himself in his true light; and you know, George, he is scoundrel enough for anything. However, I consider that she is perfectly safe for a long time, and I hope to be alongside the craft long before he becomes desperate.”

Half an hour later, the anchor was on the rail and the Osprey started on her voyage. The tide being in her favour, she passed the Needles just as it was getting dark. The breeze fell very light, and, although every stitch of canvas was put on, she was still some miles east of Portland when morning broke. As the sun rose the wind freshened a bit, and she moved faster through the water. The hands were mustered and divided into two watches, and the jerseys and red caps served out to the new hands.

“You had better give them the whole of the duck trousers, to fit themselves from, Captain,” Frank said. “There are assorted sizes, you know, and when they have suited themselves you can take the other ten pairs into store. You and the mates will want some when we get into warmer climates.”

“Are we bound for the Mediterranean?” Hawkins asked.

“To Gibraltar, to begin with. What we shall do afterwards will depend upon what news I get there. We may have to go round the world, for all I know.”

“Well, sir, I hope not, for your sake, and the young lady’s; but as far as we are concerned, we would as lief go round the world as anything else, though she is not a very big craft for such a journey as that.”

“How long will the water tanks hold out?”

“That is where the pinch will come in, sir. I reckon that at ordinary times we might make shift to go on for three weeks without filling up, but, you see, we have twenty hands instead of ten, and that will make all the difference.. I did get ten good-sized casks yesterday morning, and got them filled as well as the tanks. They are stowed away forward, but they won’t improve her speed. They have brought her head down over two inches, but, of course, we shall use the water in them first.”

“You had better bring them amidships, captain, and stow them round the saloon skylight. Appearances are of no consequence whatever, and the great thing is to get her in her best sailing trim. If bad weather comes on, we must put half in the bow and half in the stern, where we can wedge them in tightly together. It would not do to risk having them rolling about the decks.

“Well, then,” he went on, seeing that the captain did not like the thought of having weight at each end of the yacht, “if the weather gets bad we will take the saloon skylight off, and lower them down into it. I can eat my meals on deck or in my stateroom, but the water we must keep. If we get a spell of head winds or calms, we may be three weeks getting to Gib.”

“That would be a very good plan, sir, if you can do without the saloon, and don’t mind its being littered up.”

“Well, I hope we shan’t get any bad weather until we get well across the bay, Hawkins. I don’t mind the discomfort, but it would stop her speed. We want a wind that will just let us carry all our canvas. We can travel a deal faster so than we can in heavy weather, when we might be obliged to get down the greater part of our canvas and perhaps to lie to.

“It looks like a strong crew, doesn’t it?” he went on, as he glanced forward.

“That it does, sir. A craft of this size can do well with more when she is racing, but for a crew it is more than one wants, a good deal; and people would stare if we went into an English port. Still, I don’t say that it is not an advantage to be strong-handed if we get heavy weather, and it makes light work of getting up sail or shifting it, and one wants to shift pretty often when he is trying to get high speed out of a craft.”

The wind continued fitful, and, in spite of having her racing sails, the Osprey’s run to the Start was a long one. It was not until thirty-six hours after getting up anchor that they were abreast of the lighthouse.

“I try to be patient, George,” Mallett said, “but it is enough to make a saint swear. We have lost eight or ten hours instead of making a gain, although we had the advantage of coming through the Needles passage, while they had to go round at the back of the island to escape observation.”

“Yes, sir, but you know we have often found that sometimes one, sometimes another, makes a gain in these shifty winds; perhaps tomorrow we may be running along fast, and the Phantom be lying without a breath of wind.”

“That is so, George. I will try to bear it in mind. There, you see, the skipper is taking the exact bearing of the lighthouse, and we shall soon be heading south.”

In five minutes the captain gave the order to the helmsman, and the craft was then laid on her new course.

“The wind is northing a bit,” the skipper said as, after giving the helmsman instructions, he came up to Frank. “It has shifted two points round in the last half hour, and you see we have got the boom off a bit. If it goes round a point more we will get the square-sail ready for hoisting. It will help her along rarely when the head-sails cease to be of any good.”

Half an hour later the wind had gone round far enough for the square-sail to be used to advantage, and it was accordingly hoisted. The captain then had the barrels brought aft, and ranged along each side of the bulwark.

For eight-and-forty hours the Osprey maintained her speed, leaving all the sailing vessels she overtook far behind her, and keeping for hours abreast of a cargo steamer going in the same direction.

“She is bound for Finisterre,” the skipper said, “and we shall pass it some thirty miles to the west, so our courses will gradually draw apart; but we shall see her smoke anyhow until we are pretty nigh abreast of the cape––that is, if the wind holds as it is now. It is falling lighter this afternoon.”

Two or three hours later the wind died away altogether, the square-sail was got down, and the skipper then said:

“I will get the topsail down, too, sir. We can easily get it up again, and I will put a smaller jib on her. I don’t at all think by the look of the sky that we are going to have a blow. The glass would have altered more if we were, but one never can tell. I would not risk the loss of a spar for anything.”

“I should think that you might put a couple of reefs in the mainsail, Hawkins.”

“Well, perhaps it would be the best, sir; for a puff that one thinks nothing of, one way or the other, when a craft has way; will take her over wonderfully when it catches her becalmed.”

Just as he had finished his dinner, the captain came down and asked Frank to come on deck.

“There is a steamer bearing down on us. I can see both her side lights, and as she is coming in from the west she may not notice our starboard light. It is burning all right, but one never can see these green lights. They are the deceivingest things at a distance. I have just sent down for the man to bring up the riding light, and as it is a first-rate one, if we put it on deck it will light up the mainsail. I have told them to bring up the big horn. That ought to waken them if anything will.”

“How far is she off now, Hawkins?”

“About a mile and a half, Major. There are no signs of her altering her course, as she ought to have done by this time if she had made us out. You see, her head light shows up fair and square between her side lights, which shows that she is coming as near as possible on to us. I think that I had better light a blue light.”

Frank nodded. The blue light at once blazed out.

“They ought to see that if they are not all asleep,” Frank said, as he looked up at the sails standing out white against the dark sky.

“Set to work with that foghorn,” the skipper said; and a man began to work the bellows of a great foghorn, which uttered a roar that might have been heard on a still night many miles away. Again and again the roar broke out.

“That has fetched them,” the captain said. “She is starboarding her helm to go astern of us. There, we have lost her red light, so it is all right. How I should have liked to have been behind the lookout or the officer of the watch with a marlinespike or a capstan bar. I will warrant that they would not have nodded when on watch again for a long time to come.

“Here she comes; she is closer than I thought she was. She will pass within fifty yards of the stern. It is lucky that we had that big horn, Major Mallett, for if we had not woke them up when we did she would have run us down to a certainty.”

As the steamer came along, scarcely more than a length astern of the yacht, a yell of execration broke from the sailors gathered forward.

“That was a near shave, George,” Frank Mallett said, when the steamer had passed. “It brought me out in a cold sweat at the thought that, if the Osprey were to be run down, there was an end to all chance of rescuing Bertha from that scoundrel’s clutches. I don’t know that I thought of myself at all. I am a good swimmer, and I suppose she would have stopped to pick us up. It was the Osprey I was thinking of. Even if every life on board had been saved, I don’t see how we could have followed up the search without her.”

Three hours later the breeze came. Frank was pacing up and down the deck, when there was a slight creak above. He stopped and looked up.

“Is that the breeze?” he asked the first mate, whose watch it was.

“I think so, sir, though it may be just the heaving from a steamer somewhere. I don’t feel any wind; not a breath from any quarter.”

There was another and more decided sound above.

“There is no mistake this time,” the mate said, as the boom which had been hanging amidships slowly swung over to port. “It’s somewhere about the quarter that we expected it from, and coming as gently as a lamb.”

Five minutes later there was sufficient breeze to cause her to heel over perceptibly as she moved quietly through the water.

“Hands aft to shake out the reefs,” the mate called.

The order was repeated down the fo’castle hatch by one of the two men on the lookout. The rest of the watch, who had been allowed to go below, tumbled up.

The sailors hastened to untie the reef points. All were aware of the nature of the chase in which they were embarked. The whole crew were full of ardour. They felt it as a personal grievance that the young lady to whom their employer was engaged had not only been carried off, but carried off from the deck of the yacht. Moreover, she was very popular with them, as she had often asked them questions and chatted with them when at the helm or when she walked forward. She knew them all by name, and had several times come off from shore with a packet of tobacco for each man in her basket. She had been quick in learning to steer, and her desire to know everything about the yacht had pleased the sailors, who were all delighted when they learned of her engagement to the owner. The new hands, on learning the particulars, had naturally entered to some extent into the feeling of the others, and the alacrity with which every order was obeyed showed the interest felt in the chase.

As soon as the reef points were untied came the order:

“Slack away the reef tackle, and see that the caring will run easy.

“Now up with the throat halliard. That will do.

“Now the gaff a little more. Belay there.

“Now get that topsail up from the sail locker. We won’t shift jibs just yet, until we see whether the breeze is going to freshen.”

It was not long before the increasing heel of the craft, and rustle of water along her side, told that she was travelling faster.

“The wind is freeing her a bit, sir. It has shifted a good half point in the last ten minutes.”

“That is a comfort,” Frank said. “You may as well heave the log. I should like to know how she is going before I turn in.”

“Seven knots, sir,” the mate reported. “That is pretty fair, considering how close-hauled she is.”

“Well, I will turn in now. Let me know if there is any change.”

At five o’clock Frank was on deck again. Purvis was in charge of the watch now.

“Good morning, sir,” he said, touching his hat as Frank came up. “We are going to have a fine day, and the wind is likely to keep steady.”

“All right, Purvis. What speed were we going when you heaved the log?”

“Seven and a half, sir. Perry tells me that she has been doing just that ever since the wind sprang up. I reckon that we are pretty well abreast of Finisterre now. We shall have the sun up in a few minutes, and I expect that it will come up behind the land.

“Lambert, go up to the cross-tree and keep a sharp lookout, as the sun comes up, and see if you can make land.”

“I can make out the land, sir,” the sailor called down as soon as he reached the cross-tree. “It stands well up. I should say that you can see it from deck.”

The mate and Frank walked further aft and looked out under the boom. The land was plainly visible against the glow of the sky.

“There it is, sure enough,” the mate said. “I looked over there before you came up and could not make it out, but the sky has brightened a lot in the last ten minutes. I should say that it is about five-and-twenty miles away. It is a very bold coast, sir.

“That is Finisterre over the quarter; you see the land breaks off suddenly there. We ought to have made out the light, but of course it is not very bright at this distance, and there was a slight mist on the water when I came up at eight bells.”

“I suppose in another forty-eight hours we shall not be far from the southern point of Portugal.”

“We shall be there, or thereabouts, by that time if the wind keeps the same strength and in the same quarter. That would make an uncommonly good run of it, considering that we were lying twenty-four hours becalmed. If it had not been for that, we should have been only four days from the Start to Saint Vincent.”

The mate’s calculations turned out correct, and at seven in the morning they anchored a mile off Cape Saint Vincent. The gig was lowered, and Frank was rowed ashore, taking with him a signal book in which questions were given in several languages, including Spanish. He had purchased it at Cowes before starting.

The signal officer was very polite, and fortunately understood a little English. So Frank managed, with the aid of the book, to make him understand his questions. No craft at all answering to the description had been noticed passing during the last five or six days; certainly no yacht had passed. She might, of course, have gone by after dark.

He showed Frank the record of the ships that had been sighted going east, and of those that had made their numbers as they passed. The Phantom was not among the latter, nor did the rig or approximate tonnage, as guessed, of any of the others, at all correspond with hers.

After thanking the officer, Frank returned to his boat, and half an hour later the Osprey was again under weigh.

At Ceuta, Tarifa, and Tangier there was a similar want of success. Such a craft might have passed, but if so she was either too far away to be noted, or had passed during the night. From Tangier he crossed to Gibraltar, and anchored among the shipping there.

So far everything had gone to confirm his theory that the Phantom would not go up the Mediterranean. Of course, she might have passed the three places, as well as Saint Vincent, at night; or have kept so nearly in the middle of the Strait as to pass without being remarked. Still, the chances were against it, and he regarded it as almost certain that she would have put into one or other of the African ports, as she passed them, for water, fresh meat and fruit.

It was six days after the Osprey passed Saint Vincent before she anchored off Gib. She had made her number as she came in, and in a short time the health officer came out in a boat. The visit was a formal one; the white ensign on her taffrail was in itself sufficient to show her character, and that she must have come straight from England; and the questions asked were few and brief.

“We are ten days out,” Frank said. “We have touched at Tarifa, Ceuta, and Tangier, but that is all. The crew are all in good health. Here is the list of them if you wish to examine them.”

“As a matter of formality it is better that it should be done,” the health officer said.

“I will order them to muster,” Frank said, “and while they are doing so, will you come below and take a glass of wine?

“Can you tell me if a craft about this size, a schooner or brigantine, has put in here during the last fortnight? I don’t know whether she is still flying yacht colours, or has gone into trade, but at any rate you could see at once that she had been a yacht.”

“Certainly no such craft has put in here, Major Mallett. Yours is the first yacht that has come round this season, and as I board every vessel that anchors here, I should certainly have noticed any trader that had formerly been a yacht. The decks and fittings would tell their story at once. Do you know her name?”

“I don’t know much about her,” Frank said, “but a craft of that kind sailed from Cowes a day or two before I started, and, as I believe, for the Mediterranean. Being about our own size, and heavily sparred for a schooner, I was rather curious to know if I had beaten her. We did not make her out as we came along.”

“You must have passed her in the night, I should say, unless, as is likely enough, she did not put in, but kept eastward.”

As Frank had touched at Gibraltar three times before, the place had no novelty for him. He, however, went ashore at once to make arrangements for filling up again with water. The steward and George Lechmere accompanied him into the town to purchase fresh meat, fruit and vegetables.

Frank then made his way to the post office. He was scarcely disappointed at finding that there was nothing for him as yet.

The next three days he spent in wandering restlessly over the Rock. As long as the Osprey was under weigh, and doing her best, he was able to curb his anxiety and impatience; but now that she was at anchor he felt absolutely unable to remain quietly on board. Several officers of his acquaintance came off to the Osprey, and he was invited to dine at their mess dinner every night. He, however, declined.

“The fact is, my dear fellow,” he said to each, “I am at present waiting with extreme anxiety for news of a most important nature, and until I get it I am so restless and so confoundedly irritable that I am not fit to associate with anyone. When I look in here again I hope that it will be all right, and then I shall be delighted to come to you, and have a chat over our Indian days; but at present I really am not up to it.”

His appearance was sufficient to testify that his plea was not a fictitious excuse.

On the fourth day he found a letter awaiting him at the post office. He tore it open, and read:

“Funchal, Madeira, August 30.

“Sir: At the request of Mr. Greenwood I beg to inform you that a brigantine, precisely answering to the description given me, anchored in the roads here on the 21st. She only remained a few hours to take in water and stores. I was at the landing place when the master came on shore. He said that they had had a wonderfully fast voyage from England, having come from the Lizard under seven days, and holding a leading wind all the way. She was flying the Belgian flag, and I learned from the Portuguese official who visited her that her papers were all in order, and that she had been purchased at Ostend from an Englishman only three weeks before, and had been named the Dragon. He did not remember what her English name had been.

“Most unfortunately she had left a few hours before the mail steamer came in, bringing me the letter from Lloyd’s. I do not know that I could, in any case, have stopped her; but I think that I could have got the officials to have searched her, and if the ladies had been on board, and had appealed to them for protection, I think the vessel would certainly have been detained; or, at any rate, the authorities would have insisted upon the ladies being set on shore.

“Her papers had the Cape as her destination, though this may, of course, have been only a blind. I regret much that I am unable to give you further information, beyond the fact that there were two male passengers on board. I shall be happy to reply to any communication I may receive from you.”

Frank hurried down to the landing place.

“Lay out, men,” he said. “I want to be under way in a quarter of an hour.”

The men bent to their oars, and the gig flew through the water. There was no one on shore, for Frank had given strict orders that no one was to land, of a morning, until he returned from the post office.

“Get under way at once,” he called to the captain, as soon as he came within hailing distance.

There was an instant stir on board. Some of the men ran to the capstan, others began to unlace the sail covers, while some gathered at the davits to hoist the boat up directly she came alongside.

“I have news, lads,” Frank said, in a loud voice, as he stepped on board. “She has touched at Madeira.”

There was a cheer from the men. It was something to know that a clue had been obtained, and in a wonderfully short time the Osprey was under way, and heading for the point of the bay.

“Then they did not stop them there, Major?” George Lechmere asked, after Frank had stated the news.

“No, the mail did not arrive with the letter in time for Lloyd’s agent to act upon it. The Phantom had sailed some hours before. She is still under her square yards, and her name has been changed to the Dragon. She was there on the 21st, and the letter is dated the 30th.”

“And today is the 6th,” George said. “So he has fifteen days’ start of us, besides the distance to Madeira.”

“Yes, she must be among the West Indies long before we can hope to overtake her––there, or at some South American port.”

“Then you have learnt for certain that she has gone that way, Major?”

“It is not quite certain, but I have no doubt about it. Her papers say that she is bound for the Cape, which is quite enough to show me that she is not going there. I think it is the West Indies rather than South America, for if she went to any Brazilian port, or Monte Video, or Buenos Ayres, she would be much more likely to attract attention than she would in the West Indies, where there are scores of islands and places where she could cruise, or lie hidden as long as she liked.

“Yes, I have no doubt that is her destination. It is a nasty place to have to search, but sooner or later we ought to be able to find her. Fortunately the negroes pretty nearly all speak English, Spanish, or French, and we shall have no difficulty in getting information wherever there is any information to be had.”

Four days later the Osprey anchored off Funchal. The dinghy at once put off with six water casks, and Frank was rowed ashore in the gig, and had a talk with his correspondent. The latter, however, could give him no more information than had been contained in his letter, except that the white streak had been painted out, and that the craft carried fourteen hands, all of whom were foreigners. He could give no information as to whether she would be likely to touch at either the Canaries or the Cape de Verde Islands, but was inclined to think that she would not.

“They took a very large stock of water on board,” he said, “and a much larger amount of meat, vegetables and fruit than they would have required had they intended to put in there, and meat is a good deal dearer here than it would be at Saint Vincent, or even Teneriffe. I should think from this that they had no intention of putting in there, though they might touch at Saint Helena or Ascension, if they are really on their way to the Cape.

“But after what you tell me, I should think that your idea that they have made for the West. Indies is the correct one. I should say that they were likely to lie up in some quiet and sheltered spot there, for it is the hurricane season now, and no one would be cruising about among the islands if he could help it. There are scores of places where he could lie in shelter and no one be any the wiser, except, perhaps, negro villagers on the shore.”

“Yes, I should think that is what he would do,” Frank agreed. “How long does the hurricane season last?”

“The worst time is between the middle of September and the middle of November, but you cannot depend upon settled weather until the new year begins.”

“Well, hurricane or no hurricane, I shall set out on the search as soon as I get over there.”

Two hours later the Osprey was again on her way. The breeze was fresh and steady, and with her square sail set and her mizzen furled she ran along at over nine knots an hour. One day succeeded another, without there being the least occasion to make any shift in the canvas, and it was not until they were within a day’s sail of Porto Rico that the wind dropped almost suddenly. Purvis at once ran below.

“The glass has fallen a long way since I looked at it at breakfast,” he said, as he returned.

“Then we are in for a blow,” the skipper said. “I am new to these latitudes, but wherever you are you know what to do when there is a sudden lull in the wind, and a heavy fall in the glass.

“Now, lads, get her canvas off her.”

“All down, captain!”

“Every stitch.

“Andrews, do you and two others get down into the sail locker and bring up the storm jib, the small foresail, trysail, and storm mizzen. If it is a tornado, we shan’t want to show much sail to it.”

“If we are going to have a tornado, captain, I should recommend that you get the mainsail loose from the hoops, put the cover on, roll it up tightly to the gaff and lash it to the bulwarks on one side, and get the boom off and lash it on the other side.”

“That will be a very good plan. The lower we get the weight the better.”

When this was done, the topmast was also sent down and lashed by the sail. The barrels, which were now all empty, were lowered down into the saloon, while the trysail was fastened to the hoops ready for hoisting, and all the reefs tied up. A triangular mizzen was then hoisted, and a storm jib.

“We won’t get up the foresail at present,” the captain said. “I have reefed it right down, sir, but I won’t hoist it until we have got the first blow over.”

“You had better see that everything is well secured on deck, and if I were you I would put the jib in stops. We can break it out when we like; but from all accounts the first burst of these tornadoes is terrible. I should leave the mizzen on her; that will bring her head up to it, whichever way it comes, and she will lie to under that and the jib.”

“Yes, sir; but it is likely enough that we shall have to sail. I have been reading about the tornadoes. I picked up a book at Cowes the day we sailed, when I saw that you were ordering the charts of these seas, and have learnt what is the proper thing to do. The wind is from the southeast at present, which means that the centre of the hurricane lies to the southwest.

“If the wind comes more from the east, as long as we can sail we are to head northwest or else lie to on the port tack. If it shifts more to the south, we are to lie to on the starboard tack.”

“That sounds all right, Hawkins. It is very easy to describe what ought to be done, but it is not so easy to do it, when you are in a gale that is almost strong enough to take her mast out of her. I will tell you what I would do. I would break up a couple of those casks, and nail the staves over the skylights, and then nail tarpaulins over them. I have no fear whatever about her weathering the gale, but I expect that for a bit we shall be more under water than above it.

“I see Perry is getting the two anchors below; that will help to ease her. At any rate she will be in good fighting trim. I think we began none too soon. There is a thick mist over the sky, and it looks as dark as pitch ahead.”

“There is only one thing more, sir,” and the captain shouted:

“All hands get the boats on deck, and see that they are lashed firmly.

“Will you see to getting in the davits out of the sockets, Purvis, and getting them below?

“I ought to have done that before,” he went on, apologetically, “but I did not think of it. However, with such a strong crew it won’t take five minutes, and we have got that and something to spare, I think.”

“You have got the bowsprit reefed, Hawkins?”

“Yes, sir; full reefed.”

“There is only one thing more that I can suggest. I fancy that these tornadoes begin with heavy lightning. Get those wire topmast stays, and twist them tightly round the shrouds and lash them there, leaving the ends to drop a fathom or two in the water. In that way I don’t think that we need be afraid of the lightning. If it strikes us it will run down the wire shrouds, and then straight into the water.”

In five minutes all was in readiness; the boats securely lashed on deck, the davits down below, and the lightning protectors tied tightly to the wire shrouds.

“Now, captain, I think we have done all that we can do. What are you doing now?”

“I am running a life line right round her, sir. It may save more than one life if the seas make a sweep of her.”

“You are right, captain. These eighteen-inch bulwarks are no great protection.”

Four sailors speedily lashed a three-inch rope four feet above the deck, from the forestay round the shrouds and aft to the mizzen, hove as tight as they could get it and then fastened. While this was being done one of the mates cut up a piece of two-inch rope into several foot lengths, and gave one to each of the men and officers, including Frank and George Lechmere.

“If you tie the middle of that round your chest under the arms, you will have the two ends ready to lash yourself to windward when it gets bad. A couple of twists round anything will keep you safe, however much water may come over her.”

“Do you mean to stay on deck, sir?” the skipper asked. “You won’t be able to do any good, and the fewer hands there are on deck the less there will be to be anxious about. I shall only keep four hands forward after the first burst is over, and they will be lashed to the shrouds. Purvis will be there with them. Perry and Andrews will take the helm, and I shall stay with them.

“We have battened the fore hatch down. One of the men will be in the after cabin, and if I want to hoist the trysail or make any change I shall give three knocks, and that will be a signal for them to send half a dozen hands up. They will come through the saloon and up the companion. We shan’t be able to open the fore hatch.”

“Very well, skipper. I will go down when the hands do. We are going to have it soon.”

It was now indeed so dark that he could scarcely see the face of the man he was speaking to.

“I really think, captain, that I should send some of them down below at once. If a flash of lightning were to strike the mast, it would probably go down the shrouds harmlessly, but might do frightful damage among the men, crowded as they are up here; or it might blind some of them. Besides, the weight forward is no trifle.”

“I think that you are right, sir,” and, raising his voice, the captain shouted:

“All hands below except the four men told off. Go down by the companion.”

“Would you mind their stopping in the saloon, sir? It would make her more lively than if they all went down into the fo’castle.”

“Certainly not, captain;” and accordingly the men were ordered to remain in the saloon.

“You can light your pipes there, my lads,” Frank said, as they went down, “and make yourselves as comfortable as you can.”

The last man had scarcely disappeared when the captain said:

“Look there, Major Mallett,” and looking up Frank saw a ball of phosphorescent light, some eighteen inches in diameter, upon the masthead.

“Plenty of electricity about,” he said, cheerfully. “If they are all as harmless as that it won’t hurt us.”

But as he ceased speaking there was a crash of thunder overhead that made the whole vessel quiver, and at the same instant a flash of lightning, so vivid, that for a minute or two Frank felt absolutely blinded. Without a moment’s intermission, flash followed flash, while the crashes of thunder were incessant.

“I think that plan of yours has saved the ship, sir,” the captain said, when, after five minutes, the lightning ceased as suddenly as it had begun. “I am sure that a score of those flashes struck the mast, and yet no damage has been done to it, so far as I could see by the last flash. Are you all right there, Purvis?”

“All right,” the mate replied. “Scared a bit, I fancy. I know I am myself, but none the worse for it.”

“It is coming now, sir,” the captain said. “Listen.”

Frank could hear a low moaning noise, rapidly growing louder, and then he saw a white line on the water coming along with extraordinary velocity.

“Hard down with the helm, Perry,” the captain said.

“Hard down it is, sir.”

“Hold on all!” the captain shouted.

A few seconds later the gale struck them. The yacht shook as if in a collision, and heeled over till the water was half up her deck. Then the weight of her lead ballast told, and as the pressure on the mizzen did its work, she gradually came up to the wind, getting on to an almost even keel as she did so.

“Break out the jib and haul in the weather sheet,” the captain shouted.

Purvis was expecting this, and although he did not hear the words above the howl of the storm, at once obeyed the order.

“There she is, sir, lying-to like a duck,” the skipper shouted in Frank’s ear; “and none the worse for it. An ordinary craft would have turned turtle, but I have seen her as far over when she has been racing.”

“Well, I will go below now, Hawkins,” Frank shouted back. “It is enough to blow the hair off one’s head.

“Come down, George, with me. You can be of no use here.”

For eight hours the Osprey struggled with the storm. The sea swept over her decks, and the dinghy was smashed into fragments, but the yacht rode with far greater ease than an ordinary vessel would have done, as, save for her bare mast, the wind had no hold upon her. There were no spars with weight of furled sails to catch the wind and hold her down; she was in perfect trim, and her sharp bows met the waves like a wedge, and suffered them to glide past her with scarce a shock, while the added buoyancy gained by reefing the bowsprit and getting the anchors below lifted her over seas that, as they approached, seemed as if they would make a clean sweep over her.

From time to time Frank went up for a few minutes, lashing himself to the runner to windward. The three men at the helm were all sitting up, lashed to cleats, and sheltering themselves as far as they could by the bulwarks. Movement toward them was impossible. Beyond a wave of the hand, no communication could be held.

Frank could not have ventured out had he not, before going down below for the first time, stretched a rope across the deck in front of the companion, so that before going out he obtained a firm grasp of it, and was by its assistance able to reach the side safely. Each time he went out four of the crew from below followed him and relieved those lashed to the shrouds forward.

The skipper was carrying out the plan he had decided on, and the foresail was hoisted a few feet, the Osprey by its aid gradually edging her way out from the centre of the tornado. The hands as they came down received a stiff glass of grog, and were told to turn in at once. Two hours after the storm broke Purvis came down for a few minutes.

“She is doing splendidly, sir,” he said. “I would not have believed if I had not seen it, that any craft of her size could have gone through such a sea as this and shipped so little water. We have had a few big ‘uns come on board, but in general she goes over them like a duck. It is hard work forward. You have got to keep your back to it, for you can hardly get your breath if you face it. If it was not for the lashings, it would blow you right away.

“I have been at sea in gales that we thought were big ones, but nothing like this. Of course, with our heavy ballast and bare poles, she don’t lie over much. It is the sea and not the wind that affects her, and her low free board is all in her favour. But I believe a ship with a high side and yards and top hamper would be blown down on her beam ends and kept there.”

“Do you think that it blows as hard as it did, Purvis?”

“There ain’t much difference, sir; but I do think there ain’t quite so much weight in it. I expect we are working our way out of it. We have been twice round the compass. It is lucky we had not got down among the islands before we caught it. I would not give much for our chances if we had been there, for these gales gradually wear themselves out as they get farther from the islands.”

In six hours the weather had so far moderated that they were able to hoist the reefed foresail, and two hours later the trysail was set with all the reefs in. These were shaken out in a short time, the wind dying away fast. Half the crew had turned into their hammocks some time before, and the regular watch was now set. The motion of the ship, however, was very violent, for there was a heavy tumbling sea still on, the waves having no general direction, but tossing in confused masses and coming on to the deck, now on one side, now on the other.

At midnight Frank also turned in, in his clothes; but he was soon up again, for the motion of the yacht was so violent that he found it next to impossible to keep from being jerked out of his berth. The first mate had had four hours off duty, and had just come up again to relieve the captain.

“It is lucky, sir, that all our gear is nearly new,” he said; “for if it had not been, this rolling would have taken the mast out of her. The strain on the shrouds each time that she gets chucked over must be tremendous.”

“It would have been better, for this sort of work, if we had had ten feet taken off that stick before we started.”

“Well, just for the present it would have been better, sir; but even if we had had time I would not have done it. We should not have much chance of overhauling the Phantom if we clipped our wings.”

In another two hours the sea had sensibly moderated. Frank again went down, and this time was able to go to sleep. When he went on deck the sun was some way up, the mainsail was set, and the reefs had been shaken out.

“This is a change for the better, captain.”

“It is indeed, sir. I think that we have reason to be proud of the craft. She has gone through a tornado without having suffered the slightest damage, except the loss of the dinghy. I shall be getting the topmast up in another hour. You see, I have got her number-two jib on her and shifted the mizzen, but she is still a bit too lively to make it safe to get up the spar. Like as not, if we did, it would snap off before we could get the stays taut.”

“I am terribly anxious about the Phantom,” Frank said, “and only trust that she was in a snug harbour on the lee side of one of the islands.”

“I hope so, sir. I was thinking of her lots of times when the gale was at its height. If she was, as you say, in a good port, she would be right enough. Of course, if she was out she would run for the nearest shelter.”

“If she had no more wind than we had before it came on, she had not much chance of doing that.”

“That is true enough, sir; but, you see, the glass gave us notice three hours before we caught it. Besides, they certainly took native pilots on board as soon as they got out here, and these must have got them into some safe place at the first sign of a gale.”

“Yes, they must certainly have had a pilot on board,” Frank agreed; “and there is every ground to hope that they were snugly at anchor. They were three weeks ahead of us, and must know that it is the hurricane season as well as we do. It is likely that the first thing they did on their arrival was to search for some quiet spot, where they could lie up safely till the bad season was over.”

Late on the following afternoon land was seen ahead.

“There is Porto Rico, sir. It may not be quite our nearest point to make, but there are no islands lying outside it; so that it was safer to make for it than for places where the islands seemed to be as thick as peas.”

“Yes, and for the same reason it is likely that Carthew made for it. Of course, naturally we should have both gone for either Barbadoes or Antigua, or Barbuda, the most northern of the Leeward Islands; but he would not do so if he intends to keep his Belgian colours flying. And, indeed, it would seem curious that two English gentlemen should be cruising about in a Belgian trader. You may take it that he is certain to put into a port for water and vegetables, just as we have to do. There seem to be at least half a dozen on this side of the island. He may have gone into any of them, but he would be most likely to choose a small place. However, at one or other of them we are likely to get news; and the first thing for us to do is to get a good black pilot, who can talk some English as well as Spanish.”

“It is likely we shall have to take three or four of them before we have done. A man here might know the Virgin Islands, and perhaps most of the Leeward Islands, but he might not know anything east, west, or north of San Domingo. We should certainly want another pilot for the Bahamas, and a third for Cuba and the islands round it, which can be counted almost by the hundred. Then again, none of these would know the islands fringing almost the whole of the coast from Honduras to Trinidad. However, I hope we shall not have to search them. There is an ample cruising ground and any number of hiding places without having to go so far out of the world as that. At any rate, at present he is not likely to have gone far, and I think that he will either have sought some secluded shelter among the Virgin Islands, or on the coast of San Domingo.”

When within a few miles of Porto Rico they lay to for the night, and the next morning coasted westward, and dropped anchor in the port of San Juan de Porto Rico.

A quarter of an hour after dropping anchor the port officials came on board. The inspection of the ship’s papers was a short formality, the white ensign and the general appearance of the craft showing her at once to be an English yacht, and as she had only touched at Madeira on her way from Gibraltar, and all on board were in good health, she was at once given pratique.

“The first thing to do is to get an interpreter,” Frank said, as he was rowed to shore, accompanied by George Lechmere. “The secretary of Lloyd’s gave me a list of their agents all over the world. It is a Spanish firm here, and it is probable that none of them speaks English, but if so I have no doubt that by aid of this signal book I shall be able to make them understand what I want. I have a circular letter of introduction from Lloyd’s secretary.”

He had no difficulty in discovering the place of business of Senor Juan Cordovo, and on sending in his card and the letter of introduction, was at once shown into an inner office. He was received with grave courtesy by the merchant, who, on learning that he did not speak Spanish, touched a bell on his table. A clerk entered, to whom he spoke a few words.

The young man then turned to Frank, and said:

“I speak English, sir. Senor Cordovo wishes me to assure you that all he has is at your disposal, and that he will be happy to assist you in any way that you may point out.”

“Please assure Senor Cordovo of my high consideration and gratitude for his offer. Will you inform him that I intend to cruise for some time among the islands, and that I desire to obtain the services of an interpreter, speaking English and Spanish; and if he possesses some knowledge of French, so much the better.”

The reply was translated to the merchant, who conversed with the interpreter for two or three minutes. The latter then turned to Frank.

“I have a brother, senor, who, like myself, speaks the three languages. He is at present out of employment, and would, I am sure, be very glad to engage himself to you as your interpreter.”

“That would be the very thing,” Frank said. “Does he live in the town?”

“Yes, senor. I could fetch him here in a few minutes if Senor Cordovo will permit me to do so.”

The merchant at once granted the clerk’s request.

“Will you tell Senor Cordovo,” Frank said, “that I do not wish to occupy his valuable time, and that I will return here in a quarter of an hour?”

The merchant, however, through the clerk, assured Frank that he would not hear of his leaving, and producing a box of cigars, begged him to seat himself until the arrival of the interpreter. He then said something else to the clerk, and the latter asked Frank if he wanted any supplies for the yacht, as his employer acted as agent for shipping.

“Certainly,” Frank said, glad to have the opportunity of repaying the civility shown him. “I require fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, sufficient for twenty-five persons. I shall also be glad if he will arrange for boats to take off water. My barrels and tanks are nearly empty, and I shall want a supply of about a thousand gallons.”

While the clerk was absent, Frank, with the assistance of the signal book, kept up a somewhat disjointed conversation with the Spaniard. The clerk was, however, away but a few minutes; and returned with his brother, an intelligent-looking young fellow of seventeen or eighteen. He did not speak English quite as well as the clerk, but sufficiently well for all purposes. Frank asked him his terms, which seemed to him ridiculously low, and a bargain was forthwith arranged.

“Will you ask Senor Cordovo if any other English yacht has been here during the past three weeks or a month? I have a friend on board one, and I fancy that she is cruising out here also.”

The merchant replied that no English yacht had touched at the port for some months, and that such visits were extremely rare. He assured him that the stores ordered would be alongside in the course of the afternoon, and expressed his regret when Frank declined his invitation to stay with him for a day or two at his country house.

After renewed thanks, Frank took his departure with his new interpreter, whose name was Pedro. George Lechmere was waiting at the corner of the street.

“I have arranged everything satisfactorily, George. This young man is coming with me as interpreter, and as he speaks both French and Spanish we shall get on well in future.

“When will you be ready to come on board, Pedro?”

“In half an hour, senor.”

“You will find my boat at the quay. Take your things down to it. It is a white boat with a British flag at the stern. But I don’t want you to go off yet. I have two things I want you to do before you go.

“In the first place, I want a pilot. I want one who knows the Virgin Islands well, and also the coast of San Domingo.”

“There will be no difficulty about that, senor.”

“In the second place, I want to find out, from the boatmen at the quays, whether a Belgian schooner of seventy or eighty tons has touched here during the last month. She carries large yards on her foremast, and is a very fast-looking craft. She was at one time an English yacht. If she called here, I wish to know whether she sailed east or west, and if possible to obtain an idea as to her destination.”

“There was such a vessel here, senor, for I noticed her myself. She only remained a few hours, while her boats took off water and vegetables. I happened to notice her, for having nothing to do I was down at the quays, and the boatmen were talking about her, she being a craft such as is seldom seen now. Some of the old men said that she reminded them of the privateers in the great war. I went down to the boats when they first came ashore. The men only spoke French, and they paid me a dollar to go round with them to make their purchases. They took them, and also the water, off in their own boats; which surprised me, for they were very handsome boats, much more handsome than I have seen in any ship that ever came here. I said that it would cost them but a very small sum to send the barrels off in the native boats, but they insisted upon taking them themselves.

“I don’t know which way they sailed, because I went home as soon as they went away from the quay, but the boatmen will be able to tell me.”

He went away and talked with some of the negro boatmen, and soon returned, saying that she sailed westward.

“At what time did she sail?”

“It was just getting dark, senor, for they said that they could scarcely make her out, but she certainly went west.”

“Well, all you have to do now, Pedro, is to hire a pilot. Get the best man that you can find. I want one who knows every foot of the Virgin Islands. We are going there first. It does not matter so much about his knowing San Domingo, for as we shall probably come back here, we can put him ashore and get another pilot specially for San Domingo. Be sure you get the best man that you can find, whatever his terms are. We will be back again here in half an hour.

“That is satisfactory indeed, George,” Frank went on, as they turned away. “Of course, strongly as we believed that he might be here, there was no absolute certainty about it, for he might have gone to the South American ports, or even have headed for the Gulf of Florida. You see he is not only here, but came to the very island we thought that he would most likely make for. As for his going west, no doubt that was merely a ruse. He did not get up anchor until it was getting so dark that he would be able in the course of half an hour to change his course, and make for the Virgin Islands without fear of being observed. I don’t suppose that they have any idea whatever of being followed, but they take every precaution in their power to cover up their traces. You noticed, of course, their anxiety that no shore boat should go off to them.

“Well, George, we have succeeded so well thus far, that I feel confident that we shall overhaul them before long. As far as one can see on the chart, most of these Virgin Islands are mere rocks, and the number we shall have to search will not be very great, and if the pilot really knows his business, he ought to be able to take us to every inlet where they would be likely to anchor.”

Pedro was awaiting them when they returned to the boat, and was accompanied by a big negro, who, by the grin on his good-natured face, was evidently highly satisfied with the bargain that he had made.

“This is the man, senor,” Pedro said. “I met one of the port officers I know, and he told me that he was considered to be the best pilot in the island. He speaks a little English—most of the pilots do, for several of the Virgin Islands belong to your people—and, of course, when he goes down to the Windward Islands—”

“The Windward Islands!” Frank repeated. “Why, they are not anywhere near here.”

“I should have said the Leeward Islands, senor. The English call them so, but we and the Danes and the Dutch all call them the Windward Islands.”

“Oh, I understand.

“你叫什么名字，我的男人？”

“Dominique, sar. Me talk English bery well. Me take you to any port you want to go. Me know all de rocks and shoals. Bery plenty dey is, but Dominique knows ebery one of dem.”

“That is all right. You are just the man I want. Well, are you ready to go on board at once?”

“Me ready in an hour, sar. Go home now, say goodbye to wife and piccaninnies. Pedro just tell me that boat go off with water in one, two hours. Dominique go off with him. Me like five dollars to give wife to buy tings while me am away.”

“All right, Dominique, here you are. Now don’t you miss the boat, or we shall quarrel at starting, and I shall send ashore at once and engage someone else.”

“Dominique come, sar, that for sure. Me good man; always keep promise.”

“Well, here is another couple of dollars, Dominique; that is a present. You give that to the wife, and tell her to buy something for the piccaninnies with it.”

So saying, Frank, George Lechmere, and Pedro stepped on board the boat; while the pilot walked off, his black face beaming with satisfaction.

He came off duly with the last water boat, and while the contents of the barrels were being transferred to the tanks—for now that the long run was accomplished there was no longer any necessity for carrying a greater supply than these could hold—Frank had a talk with him.

“Now, Dominique, this is, you know, a yacht cruising about on pleasure.”

“Yes, sar, me know dat.”

“At the same time,” Frank went on, “we have an object in view. Just at present we want to find that schooner or brigantine that put in here nearly a month ago. She carried a heavy spread of canvas on her yards, and lay very low in the water.”

The pilot nodded.

“Me remember him, sar; could not make out de craft nohow. Some people said she pirate, but dar ain’t no pirates now.”

“That is so, Dominique. Still there may be reasons sometimes for wanting to overhaul a vessel, and I have such a reason. What it is, is of no consequence. Pedro tells me that when she got under sail she went west, but as it was just dark when she sailed, she may very well have turned as soon as she was hidden from sight and have gone east; and it seems to me likely that she would, in the first place, have made for one of the Virgin Islands.”

“It depends, sar, upon the trade that he wanted to do. Not much trade dere, sar. The trade is done at Tortola, dat English island; and at Saint Thomas or Santa Cruz, dem Danish islands; all de oders do little trade.”

“Yes, Dominique, but I don’t think that she wants to trade at all. What she wants to do is to lie up quietly, where she would not be noticed.”

“Plenty of places in the islands for dat, sar.”

“Did they take a pilot here?”

Dominique shook his head.

“No, sar; several offers, but no take. If want to hide, they no want pilot from here; they take up a fisherman among the islands, to show dem good place. But plenty of places much better in San Domingo or Cuba. Why dey stop Virgin Islands? Little places, many got no water, no food, no noting but bare rock.”

“I think that they would go in there, because, as the hurricane season had begun when they got here, they would think it better to run into the port.”

“Hurricane not bad here, sar; bery bad down at what English call Leeward Islands. Have dem sometimes here, not bery often; had one four days ago, one ob de worse me remember. We not likely to have another dis year.”

“That is satisfactory, Dominique, We got caught in it the other day, and I don’t want to meet another. Well, you understand what I want. To begin with, to search all the places a vessel that did not want to attract notice would be likely to lie up in. We want to question people as to whether she has been seen, and if we don’t find her, to hear whether, when last seen, she was sailing in the direction of the Leeward Islands, or going west.”

“Me find out, sar,” the negro said, confidently. “Someone sure to have seen her.”

“Well, you had better come below. I have got a chart, and you shall mark all the islands where there are any bays that she would be likely to take shelter in, and we can then see the order in which we had better take them.”

This was a little beyond Dominique’s English, but Pedro explained it to him, and at Frank’s request went below with them; Frank telling Hawkins to weigh anchor as soon as the tanks were filled and the stores were on board. He had, before he came off, returned to Senor Cordovo and paid for all the things supplied.

Going through the islands, one by one, Dominique made a cross against all that possessed harbours or inlets, that would each have to be examined.

“Tortola is the least likely of the places for them to go,” Frank said, “as it is a British island.”

“Not many people dar, sar. Most people in town. De rest of island rock, all hills broken up, many good harbours.”

“What is its size, Dominique?”

“Twelve miles long, sar. Two miles wide.”

“Well, that is not a great deal to search, if we have to examine every inch of the coast. How many people are there?”

“Two, three hundred white men. Dey live in de town most all. Two, three thousand blacks.”

“Well, we will begin with the others. I should think that in a fortnight we ought to be able to do them all.”

The next twelve days were occupied in a fruitless search. Every fishing boat was overhauled and questioned, and Frank and Pedro went ashore to every group of huts. The only fact that they learned, was that a schooner answering to the description had been seen some time before. The information respecting her was, however, very vague; for some asserted that she was sailing one way, some another; and Frank concluded that she had cruised about for some days, before deciding where to lie up. It was at Tortola that they first gained any useful information. Many vessels had, during the last six weeks, entered one or other of the deep creeks, and one of them had laid up for nearly a month in a narrow inlet with but one or two negro huts on shore. It was undoubtedly the Phantom, or rather the Dragon, for the negroes had noticed that name on her stern. She had sailed on the day after the hurricane, and, as they learned from shore villages at other points, had gone west.

“Well, it is a comfort to think that even if we had sailed direct here from Porto Rico we should not have caught her,” Frank said to George Lechmere. “She had left here two days before we got there. I suppose they have someone on board who has been in the islands before, for certainly the harbours are the best in the group. No doubt they got some fishermen to bring them into the creek. Well, there is nothing to do but to turn her head west. It is but forty-eight hours’ sail to San Domingo, and I fancy that it is likely that he will have stopped there. You see on the chart that there are numberless bays, and there would be no fear of questions being asked by the blacks. If we don’t find him there we must try Cuba; but San Domingo is by far the most likely place for him to choose for his headquarters, and there are at least four biggish rivers he could sail up, beside a score of smaller ones.

“I should say that we had better try the south and west first. The coast is a great deal more indented there than it is to the north. There seem to be any number of creeks and bays. I should think that he would be likely to make one of these his headquarters, and spend his time cruising about.”

Although Dominique professed a thorough knowledge of the coast of San Domingo and Hayti, Frank could see that he was not so absolutely certain as he was of the Virgin Islands, and he told him to land at villages as he passed along, and bring fishermen off acquainted with the waters in their locality.

“Dat am de safest way for sure, sar,” Dominique said. “Dis chile know de coast bery well, can pilot ship into town of San Domingo or any oder port that ships go to, but he could not say for certain where all de rocks and shoals are along places where de ships neber go in.”

Three days later the Osprey, after sailing along the northern shore, arrived at Porto Rico and, passing through the Mona channel between that island and San Domingo, dropped anchor in the port of the capital. Dominique went ashore with Pedro, and spent some hours in boarding coasting craft and questioning negroes whether they had seen the brigantine. Several of them had noticed her. She had been cruising off the coast, and had put in at the mouth of the Nieve, and at Jaquemel on the south coast of Hayti. They heard of her, too, in the deep bay at the west of the island between Capes Dame Marie and La Move. Some had seen her sailing one way, some another; she had evidently been, as Frank had expected, cruising about.

Pedro put down the dates of the times at which she had been seen, but negroes are very vague as to time, and beyond the fact that some had seen her about a week before, while in other cases it was nearer a fortnight, he could ascertain nothing with certainty. So far as he could learn, she had only put into three ports, although the coasters he boarded came from some twenty different localities.

“I fancy that it is as I expected,” Frank said. “They have one regular headquarters to which they return frequently. It may be some very secluded spot. It may be up one of these small rivers marked on the chart––there are a score of them between Cape la Move and here. She does not seem to have been seen as far east as this. Of course, she has not put in here, because there are some eight or ten foreign ships here now. Every one of these twenty rivers has plenty of water for vessels of her draught for some miles up. I fancy our best chance will be to meet her cruising.”

“The worst of that would be, Major,” George Lechmere said, “that she would know us, and if she sails as well as she used to do, we should not catch her before night came on—if she had seven or eight miles’ start—especially if we both had the wind aft.”

“That is just what I am afraid of. I have no doubt that we could beat her easily working to windward in her present rig, but I am by no means certain that she could not run away from us if we were both free; and if she once recognised us there is no saying where she might go to after she had shaken us off. Certainly she would not stay in these waters.

“The question is, how can we disguise ourselves? If we took down our mizzen and dirtied the rest of our sails, it would not be much of a disguise. Nothing but a yacht carries anything like as big a mainsail as ours, and our big jib and foresail, and the straight bowsprit would tell the tale. Of course, we could fasten some wooden battens along her side, and stretch canvas over them, and paint it black, and so raise her side three feet, but even then the narrowness of her hull, seen end on as it would be, in comparison to the height of the mast and spread of canvas, would strike Carthew at once.”

“We could follow his example, sir, and make her into a brig. I dare say we could get it done in a week.”

“That might spoil her sailing, and as soon as he found that we were in chase of him, he would at once suspect that something was wrong. That would, of all things, be the worst, especially if he found—which would be just as likely as not––that he had the legs of us.

“I believe the most certain way of all would be to search for her in the boats. If we were to paint the gig black, so that it would not attract attention, give a coating of grey paint to the oars, and hire a black crew, we could coast along and stop at every village, and search every bay, and row far enough up each river to find some village or hut where we could learn whether the Phantom has been in the habit of going up there. It would take some time, of course, but it might be a good deal of time saved in the long run. We could do a great deal of sailing. The gig stands well up to canvas when the crew are sitting in the bottom, and we could fit her out with a native rig.

“From here to Cape La Move, following the indentations, must be somewhere between five and six hundred miles, perhaps more than that. The breeze is regular, and with a sail we ought to make from forty to fifty miles a day—say forty—so that in three weeks we should thoroughly have searched the coast, even allowing for putting in three or four times a day to make inquiries. The yacht must follow, keeping a few miles astern. At any rate she must not pass us.

“At night when she anchors she must have two head lights, one at the crosstrees and one at the topmast head. I shall be on the lookout for her, and we will take some blue lights and some red lights with us. Every night I will burn a blue light, say at nine o’clock. A man in the crosstrees will make it out twenty miles away, and that will tell them where I am, and that I don’t want them. If I burn a red light it will be a signal for the yacht to come and pick me up.”

“Then you will go in the boat yourself, Major?”

“Yes, I must be doing something. I shall take Pedro with me, and perhaps Dominique. We can get another pilot here. Dominique is a shrewd fellow, and can get more out of the negroes than Pedro can. Certainly, that will be the best plan, and will avoid the necessity of spoiling the yacht’s speed, which may be of vital importance to us at a critical moment.

“Call Dominique down. I will send him ashore at once with Pedro, to get hold of a good pilot and four good negro boatmen, and a native sail. I think that is all we want.”

As soon as the dinghy, with Dominique and Pedro, had left the side of the yacht; the captain, by Frank’s orders, set four men to work to paint the gig black, while others gave a coat of dull lead colour to the varnished oars. The order was received with much surprise by the men, who audibly expressed their regret at seeing their brightly varnished boat and oars thus disfigured.

After about three hours on shore, the dinghy returned loaded with fruit and vegetables, which Pedro had purchased, and a native mast and sail. The former was at once cut so as to step in the gig. The sail was hoisted, and was then taken in hand by one of the crew, who was a fair sailmaker, to be altered so as to stand flatter. Half an hour later the new pilot and four powerful negroes came alongside in a shore boat.

It was now late in the afternoon, so the start was postponed until the next morning. A few other arrangements were made as to signalling, and it was settled that if Frank showed a red light, a rocket should be sent up from the yacht, to show that the signal had been observed, and that they were getting up sail. They were to keep their lights up, so that Frank could make them out as they came up, and put off to meet them.

George Lechmere saw to the preparations for victualling the gig. Two large hampers of fresh provisions were placed on board, and two four-and-a-half gallon kegs of water. A bundle of rugs was placed in the stern sheets, and the boat’s flagstaff was fixed in its place in the stern. The yard of the sail was at night to be lashed from the mast to the staff at a height of four feet above the gunwale, and across this the sail was to be thrown to act as a tent. A kettle, frying pan, plates, knives and forks were put in forward, and a box of signal lights under the seat aft. Canisters of tea, sugar, coffee, and all necessaries had been stowed away in the hamper, together with a plentiful supply of tobacco; and a bag of twenty-eight pounds of flour, wrapped up in tarpaulin, was placed under one of the thwarts.

As soon as it was daylight, anchor was got up, and when the yacht had sailed for seven or eight miles to the west, the gig was lowered, and the four black boatmen took their places in her. Frank took the rudder lines, and Dominique sat near him. The sail was then hoisted, and as the wind was light, the boatmen got out their oars and shot ahead of the Osprey, directing their course obliquely towards the shore.

It was not necessary to land at the coast villages here, as it was morally certain that the Phantom had not touched anywhere within twenty or thirty miles of San Domingo, and she would hardly have entered any of the narrow rivers at night. Nevertheless, they did not pass any of these without rowing up them. When some native huts were reached, Dominique closely questioned the negroes.

The pilot had, by this time, been informed of the cause of their search for the Phantom, which had, until they left San Domingo, been a profound mystery to him. Frank, however, being now fully convinced both of the negro’s trustworthiness, and of his readiness to do all in his power to assist, thought it as well to confide in him, and when they were together in the boat, informed him that the brigantine they were searching for had carried off a young lady and her maid from England.

“That man must be a rascal,” the negro said, angrily. “What do he want dat lady for, sar? He love her bery much?”

“No, Dominique, what he loves is her fortune. She is rich. He has gambled away a fine property, and wants her money to set him on his legs again.”

“Bery bad fellow dat,” the pilot said, shaking his head earnestly. “Ought to be hung, dat chap. Dominique do all he can to help you, sar. Do more now for you and dat young lady. We find him for suah. You tink there will be any fighting, sar?”

“I think it likely that he will show fight when we come up with him, but you see I have a very strong crew, and I have arms for them all.”

“Dat good. Me wonder often why you have so many men. Nothing for half of dem to do. Now me understand. Well, sar, if there be any fighting, you see me fight. You gib me cutlass; me fight like debil.”

“Thank you, Dominique,” Frank said, warmly, though with some difficulty repressing a smile. “I shall count on you if we have to use force. As far as I am concerned, I own that I should prefer that they did resist, for I should like nothing better than to stand face to face with that villain, each of us armed with a cutlass.”

“If he know you here, he go up river, get plenty of black men fight for him. Black fellow bery foolish. Give him little present he fight.”

“I had not thought of that, Dominique. Yes, if he has made some creek his headquarters he might, as you say, get the people to take his side by giving them presents; that is, if he knew that we were here. However, at present he cannot dream that we are after him, and if we can but come upon him unawares we shall make short work of him.”

No news whatever was obtained of the schooner until the headland of La Catarina was passed, but at the large village of Azua they learned that she had anchored for a night in the bay five days before. She had been seen to sail out, and certainly had not turned into the river Niova.

Touching at every village and exploring every inlet, Frank continued his course until, after rounding the bold promontory of La Beata, he reached the bay at the head of which stands Jaquemel.

Every two or three days they had communicated with the Osprey and slept on board her, leaving her at anchor with her sails down until they had gone some ten miles in advance. She had at times been obliged to keep at some distance from the shore, owing to the dangers from rocks and shoals. The pilot on board would have taken her through, but Frank was unwilling to encounter any risk, unless absolutely necessary.

At Jaquemel he learnt that the schooner had put in there a fortnight before, but neither there nor at any point after leaving Azua had she been seen since that time. She had sailed west.

The next night, after looking in at Bainette, some twenty miles beyond Jaquemel, Frank rejoined the Osprey.

The gig was hoisted up, and they sailed round the point of Gravois, the coast intervening being so rocky and dangerous that, although there was a passage through the shoals to the town of St. Louis, Frank felt certain that the schooner would not be in there. The coast from here to Cape Dame Marie was high and precipitous, with no indentations where a ship could lie concealed, and the voyage was continued in the yacht as far as this cape. They were now at the entrance of the great bay of Hayti.

“I take it as pretty certain,” Frank said, as he, George Lechmere, the skipper, and Dominique bent over the chart; “that the schooner is somewhere in this bay. She has certainly not made her headquarters anywhere along the south coast. In the first place, she has seldom been seen, and in the second we have examined it thoroughly. Therefore I take it that she is somewhere here, unless, of course, she has sailed for Cuba. But I don’t see why she should have done that. The coast there is a good deal more dangerous than that of San Domingo. He could not want a better place for cruising about than this bay. You see, it is about ninety miles across the mouth, and over a hundred to Port au Prince, with indentations and harbours all round, and with the island of Genarve, some forty miles long, to run behind in the centre. He could get everything he wants at Port au Prince, or at Petit Gouve, which looks a good-sized place.

“I should say, in the first place, that we could not do better than run down at night to the island of Genarve, and anchor close under it. From there we shall see him if he comes out of Port au Prince, or Petit Gouve, whichever side he may take; and by getting on to an elevated spot have a view of pretty nearly the whole bay. Looking at it at present, the two most likely spots for him to make his headquarters are in that very sheltered inlet behind the point of Halle on the north side, or in the equally sheltered bay and inlet under the Bec de Marsouin on the south. From Genarve we ought to be able to see him coming out of either of them. It is not above five-and-twenty miles from the island to the Bec de Marsouin, and forty to the point of Halle. We might not see him come out from there, but we should soon make him out if he were coming down from Port au Prince.”

It was agreed that this was the best plan to adopt. It might lead to their sighting the schooner in a day or two, while to row round the bay and search every inlet in it would take them a fortnight. From Genarve, too, a forty-mile sail in the gig would take them into Port au Prince, which the brigantine might possibly have made its headquarters. Accordingly, after waiting until nightfall, they got up sail, and anchored at six in the morning in a small bay in the island of Genarve. Here they would not be likely to attract the notice of any ship passing up to Port au Prince, unless, which was very unlikely, one came along close to the shore.

As soon as the anchor was dropped, both boats rowed to shore. Frank, George Lechmere, Pedro, and four sailors, with a basket of provisions, started at once for the highest point in the island, some four miles distant. Dominique went along the shore with two sailors, to make inquiries at any villages they came to.

On reaching the top of the hill, Frank saw that, as he had expected, it commanded an extensive view over the bay on each side of the island, which was but some six miles across. A village could be seen on the northern shore, some three miles distant; and to this Pedro, with one of the sailors, was at once despatched. Both parties rejoined Frank soon after midday. The schooner had been noticed passing the island several times, but much more often on the southern side than on the northern. The negroes on that side were all agreed that she generally kept on the southern side of the passage, and that more than once she had been seen coming from the south shore, and passing the western point of the island on her way north.

“That looks as if she came from Petit Gouve, or the bay of Mitaquane, or that under the Bec de Marsouin,” Frank said.

“Dat is it, sar,” Dominique agreed. “If she want to go north side of bay from Port au Prince, she would have gone either side of island. I expect she lie under de Bec. Fine, safe place dat, no town there, plenty of wood all round, and villages where she get fruit and vegetables; sure to be little stream where she can get water.”

The watch was maintained until sunset, but, although a powerful telescope had been brought up, no vessel at all corresponding to the appearance of the brigantine was made out.

At six o’clock the next morning Frank was again at the lookout, and scarcely had he turned his telescope to the south shore than he saw the brigantine come out from behind the Bec de Marsouin and head towards the west. The wind was blowing from that quarter, and after a few minutes’ deliberation, Frank told the men to follow him, and dashed down the hill. In half an hour he reached the shore opposite the yacht, and at his shout the dinghy, which was lying at her stern, at once rowed ashore.

“Get up the anchor, captain, and make sail. I have seen her. She has just come out from the Bec, and is making west. As the wind is against her, it seems to me that he would never choose that direction to cruise in unless he was starting for Cuba, and I dare not let the opportunity slip. If he once gets clear away we may have months of work before we find him again, and as the wind now is, I am sure that we can overhaul him long before he can make Cuba. Indeed, as we lie, we are nearer to that coast than he is, and can certainly cut him off.”

In five minutes the Osprey was under way, with all sail set. The wind was nearly due west, and as Cuba lay to the north of that point, she had an advantage that quite counter-balanced that gained by the start the Phantom had obtained. In two hours the lookout at the head of the mast shouted down that he could perceive the brigantine’s topsail.

“She is sailing in towards the land on that side,” he said. “She has evidently made a tack out, and is now on the starboard tack again.”

“It will be a long leg and a short one with her, sir,” the skipper said. “I think that if we were in her place we could just manage to lay our course along the coast, but with those square yards of hers, she cannot go as close to the wind as we can. As it is, we can lay our course to cut her off.”

“It would be rather a close pinch to do so before she gets to the head of the bay,” Frank said.

“Yes, sir, and I don’t suppose that we shall overhaul her before that, but we certainly shan’t be far behind her by the time she gets there. I think that we shall cut her off if the wind holds as it does now. At any rate, if she should get there first, we should certainly lie between her and Cuba, and she will have either to run back, or to round the cape, or to run east or south. I wish the wind would freshen; but I fancy that it is more likely to die away. Still, she is walking along well at present.”

Even Frank, anxious as he was, could not but feel satisfied as he looked at the water glancing past her side. She was heeling well over, and the rustle of water at her bow could be heard where they were standing near the tiller. Andrews, the best helmsman on board the yacht, held the tiller rope, and Perry was standing beside him.

From time to time Frank went up to the crosstrees.

“We are drawing in upon her fast,” he said, “but she is travelling well, too; much better than I should have thought she would have done with that rig. I think she has got a better wind than we have. She has only made one short tack in for the last two hours.”

The captain’s prognostication as to the wind was verified, and to Frank’s intense annoyance it gradually died away, and headed them so much that they could no longer lie their course.

“What shall we do, sir? Shall we hold across to the south shore and work along by it, as the schooner is doing, or shall we go about at once?”

“Go about at once, Hawkins. You see we can see her topsails from the deck; and of course she can see ours. I don’t suppose she has paid any attention to us yet, and if we stand away on the other tack we shall soon drop her altogether; while if we hold on she will, when we reach that shore, be three or four miles behind us. Of course, she will have a full view of us.”

They sailed on the port tack for an hour and then came round again. The brigantine could no longer be seen from the deck, and could only just be made out from the crosstrees.

“I think on this tack,” the skipper said, as he stood by the compass after she had gone round, “we shall make the point, and I think that we shall make it ahead of her.”

“I think so too, Hawkins. What pace is she going now?”

“Not much more than four knots, sir.”

“My only fear is that we shan’t get near her before it is dark.”

“I think that we have plenty of time for that, sir. You see we got up anchor at half-past six, and it is just twelve o’clock now. Another five hours should take us up to her if the wind holds at this.”

By two o’clock the topsails of the brigantine could be again made out from the deck. She was still working along shore, and was on their port bow.

“Another three hours and we shall be alongside of her,” the skipper said; “and if I am not mistaken we shall come out ahead of her.”

“There is one advantage in the course we are taking, Hawkins. Viewing us, as she will, pretty nearly end on till we get nearly abreast of her, she won’t be able to make out our rig clearly.”

By four o’clock they were within five miles of the brigantine. The wind then freshened, and laying her course as she did, while the brigantine was obliged to make frequent tacks, the Osprey ran down fast towards her.

“They must have their eyes on us by this time,” the captain said. “Though they cannot be sure that it is the Osprey, they can see that she is a yawl of over a hundred tons, and as they cannot doubt that we are chasing them, they won’t be long in guessing who we are. Shall we get the arms up, sir?”

“Yes, you may as well do so. The muskets can be loaded and laid by the bulwarks, but they are not to be touched until I give the order. No doubt they also are armed. I am anxious not to fire a shot if it can be helped, and once alongside we are strong enough to overpower them with our cutlasses only. With the five blacks we are now double their strength, and even Carthew may see the uselessness of offering any resistance.”

They ran down until they were within a mile of the shore, not being now more than a beam off the brigantine. Two female figures had some time before been made out on her deck, but they had now disappeared. It was evident that the Osprey was being closely watched by those on board the brigantine. Presently two or three men were seen to run aft.

“They are going to tack again, sir. If they do they will come right out to us.”

Frank made no reply, but stood with his glass fixed on the brigantine. Suddenly he exclaimed:

“Round with her, Hawkins!”

“Up with your helm, Andrews. Hard up, man!” the skipper shouted, as he himself ran to slack out the main sheet. Four men ran aft to assist him.

“That will do,” he said, as she fell off fast from the wind. “Now, then, gather in the main sheet, ready for a jibe. Slack off the starboard runner; a couple of hands aft and get the square sail out of the locker.

“Mr. Purvis, get the yard across her, lower her down ready for the sail, and see that the braces and guys are all right.

“Now in with the sheet, lads, handsomely. That will do, that is it. Over she goes. Slack out the sheet steadily.”

“She is round, too,” Frank said, as the boom went off nearly square. “We have gained, and she is not more than half a mile away.”

The manoeuvre had, in fact, brought the yachts nearer to each other. Both had their booms over to starboard.

“Quick with that square sail,” Frank shouted. “She is drawing away from us fast.”

Two minutes later the square sail was hoisted, and the foot boomed out on the port side. Every eye was now fixed on the brigantine, but to their disappointment they saw that she was still, though very much more slowly, drawing ahead.

“That is just what I feared,” Frank said, in a tone of deep vexation. “With those big yards I was certain that she would leave us when running ahead before the wind. However, there is no fear of our leaving her. What are we doing now? Seven knots?”

“About that, sir, and she is doing a knot better.”

“What do you think that she will do now, Hawkins?”

“I don’t see what she has got to do, sir. If she were to get five miles ahead of us, and then haul her wind, she would know that she could not go away from us, for we should be to windward; and we are evidently a good bit faster than she is when we are both close hauled. The only other thing that I can see for her to do is to run straight on to Port au Prince. At the rate we are going now she would be in soon after daylight tomorrow. We should be seven or eight miles astern of her, and he might think that we should not venture to board her there.”

“I don’t think that he would rely on that, Hawkins. Now that he knows who we are, he will guess that we shall stick at nothing. What I am afraid of is that he will lower a boat and row Miss Greendale and her maid ashore. He might do it either there, or, what would be much more likely, row ashore to some quiet place during the night, take his friend and two or three of his men with him, and leave the rest to sail her to Port au Prince.”

“I don’t think that the wind is going to hold,” the skipper said, looking astern. “I reckon that it will drop, as it generally does, at sunset. It is not blowing so hard now as it did just before we wore round.”

In half an hour, indeed, it fell so light that the Osprey was standing through the water only at three and a half knots an hour. The light wind suited the Phantom, with her great sail spread. She had now increased her lead to a mile and a half, and was evidently leaving them fast.

“There is only one thing to be done, George. We must board them in boats.”

“I am ready, Major; but it will be a rather risky business.”

Frank looked at him in surprise.

“I don’t mean for us, sir,” George said, with a smile, “but for Miss Greendale. You may be sure that those fellows will fight hard, and as we come up behind we shall get it hot. Now, sir, if anything happens to you, you must remember that the Osprey will be as good as useless towards helping her. You as her owner might be able to justify what we are doing, but if you were gone there would be no one to take the lead. Carthew would only have to sail into Port au Prince and denounce us as pirates. I hear from the pilot that these niggers have got some armed ships, and they might sink us as soon as we came into the harbour, and then there would be an end to any chance of Miss Greendale getting her liberty.”

“That is true enough, George, but I think that it must be risked. Now that he knows we are here, he has nothing to do but to send her ashore under the charge of his friend and two or three of the sailors, and take her up into the hills. Or he might go with her himself, which is perhaps more likely. Then when we came up with her at Port au Prince the skipper would simply deny that there had ever been any ladies on board, and would swear that he had only carried out two gentlemen passengers, as his papers would show, and might declare that he had landed them at Porto Rico. Of course, they are certain to fight now, for they can do so without risk, as they can swear that they took us for a pirate.

“How many do you think that the gig will carry, Hawkins?”

“Well, sir, you might put nine in her. You brought ten off at Southampton; but if you remember, it put her very low in the water, and we should run a good deal heavier than your party then.”

“Yes, I think that we had better take only nine. If we overload her she will row so heavily that we shall be a long time overhauling them.”

“I am not quite sure that we shall overhaul them anyhow, sir. Look at those clouds coming over the hills. They are travelling fast, and I should say that we are likely to have a squall. No doubt they get them here pretty often with such high land all round.”

“Well, we must chance that, Hawkins. If one does come you must pick us up as we come along. I agree with you; it does look as if we should have a squall. It may not be anything very serious, but anyhow, if it comes it will take her along a great deal faster than we can row.

“Purvis, I suppose that the dinghy will carry seven?”

“Yes, she will do that easily.”

“Very well, we can but try; that will give sixteen of us, which is about their strength. You must remain on board. Purvis shall command the dinghy; Lechmere will go with me. Pick out thirteen hands. You and Perry can manage with seven and the five negroes, but keep a sharp lookout for that squall. Remember that you will have very short warning. We are only a mile from the shore, and as it is coming down from the hills you may not see it on the water until it is quite close to you.”

The boats were lowered, and the men, armed with musket and cutlass, took their places. Frank and George Lechmere each had a cutlass and a revolver buckled to the waist.

“Now give way, lads,” Frank said. “She is about two miles ahead of us, and we ought to overtake her in half an hour.”

It was now getting dusk, the light fading out suddenly as the clouds spread over the sky. Frank’s last orders to the skipper before leaving were:

“Edge her in, Hawkins, until you are dead astern of the brigantine. Then if the squall comes down before we reach her, we shall be right in your track.”

“I have put a lighted lantern into the stern sheets of each boat, sir, and have thrown a bit of sail cloth over them, so that if she leaves you behind, and you hold it up, there won’t be any fear of our missing you.”

The men rowed hard, but the gig had to stop frequently to let the dinghy come up. They gained, however, fast upon the brig, and in half an hour were but a few hundred yards astern. Then came a hail from the brigantine in French:

“Keep off or we will sink you!”

No reply was made. They were but two hundred yards away when there were two bright flashes from the stern of the brigantine, and a shower of bullets splashed round the boats. There were two or three cries of pain, and George Lechmere felt Frank give a sudden start.

“你被击中了吗，先生？”

“I have got a bullet in my left shoulder, George, but it is of no consequence.

“Row on, lads,” he shouted. “We shall be alongside before they have time to load again.

“I never thought of their having guns, though,” he went on, as the men recovered from their surprise, and dashed on again with a cheer. “By the sharp crack they must be brass. I suppose he picked up a couple of small guns at Ostend, thinking that they might be useful to him in these waters.”

A splattering fire of musketry now broke out from the brigantine. They had lessened their distance by half when they saw the brigantine, without apparent cause, heel over. Farther and farther she went until her lee rail was under water.

The firing instantly ceased, and there were loud shouts on board; then, as she came up into the wind, the square yards were let fall, and the crew ran up the ratlines to secure the sails. Simultaneously the foresail came down, then her head payed off again, and she darted away like an arrow from the boats.

These, however, had ceased rowing. Frank, as he saw the brigantine bowing over, had shouted to Purvis to put the boat’s head to the wind, doing the same himself. A few seconds afterwards the squall struck them with such force that some of the oars were wrenched from the hands of the men, who were unprepared for the attack.

“Steady, men, steady!” Frank shouted. “It won’t last long. Keep on rowing, so as to hold the boat where you are, till the yacht comes along. It won’t be many minutes before she is here.”

In little over a quarter of an hour she was seen approaching, and Frank saw that, in spite of the efforts of the men at the oars, the boats had been blown some distance to leeward. However, as soon as the lanterns were held up the Osprey altered her course, and the captain, taking her still further to leeward, threw her head up to the wind until they rowed alongside her.

Frank had by this time learned that one of the men in the bow had been killed, and that three besides himself had been wounded. Two were wounded on board the dinghy.

“So they have got some guns,” the skipper said, as they climbed on deck. “No one hurt, I hope?”

“There is one killed, I am sorry to say, and five wounded,” Frank replied; “but none of them seriously. I have got a bullet in my shoulder, but that is of no great consequence. So you got through it all right?”

“Yes, sir, it looked so nasty that I got the square-sail off her and the topsail on deck before it struck us, and as we ran the foresail down just as it came we were all right, and only just got the water on deck. It was as well, though, that we were lying becalmed. As it was, she jumped away directly she felt it. I was just able to see the brigantine, and it seemed to me that she had a narrow escape of turning turtle.”

“Yes, they were too much occupied with us to be keeping a sharp lookout at the sky, and if it had been a little stronger it would have been a close case with her. Thank God that it was no worse. Can you make her out still?”

“Yes, sir, I can see her plainly enough with my glasses.”

In a quarter of an hour the strength of the squall was spent. The wind then veered round to its former quarter, taking the Osprey along at the rate of some five knots an hour.

The wounded were now attended to. George Lechmere found that the ball had broken Frank’s collarbone and gone out behind. Both he and Frank had had sufficient experience to know what should be done, and after bathing the wound, and with the assistance of two sailors, who pulled the arm into its place, George applied some splints to the broken bone to keep it firm, and then bandaged it and the arm.

One of the sailors had a wound in the cheek, the ball in its passage carrying off part of the ear. One of the men sitting in the bow had a broken arm, but only one of the others was seriously hurt. Frank went on deck again as soon as his shoulder was bandaged and his left arm strapped tightly to his side.

“I suppose that she is still gaining on us, Hawkins?”

“Yes, she is dropping us. I reckon she has gone fast, sir, fully half a knot, though we have got all sail set.”

“There is one comfort,” Frank said. “The coast from here as far as the Bec is so precipitous, that they won’t have a chance of putting the boat ashore until they get past that point, and by the time they are there daylight will have broken.”

The stars were bright, and with the aid of a night glass the brigantine was kept in sight; the sailors relieving each other at the masthead every half hour. Frank would have stayed on deck all night, had not George Lechmere persuaded him to go below.

“Look here, Major,” he said. “It is like enough that we may have a stiff bit of fighting tomorrow. Now we know that those fellows have guns, though they may be but two or three pounders, and it is clear that it is not going to be altogether such a one-sided job as we looked for. You have had a long day already, sir. You have got an ugly wound, and if you don’t lie down and keep yourself quiet, you won’t be fit to do your share in any fighting tomorrow; and I reckon that you would like to be in the front of this skirmish. You know in India wounds inflamed very soon if one did not keep quiet with them, and I expect that it is just the same here.

“It is not as if you could do any good on deck. The men are just as anxious to catch that brigantine as you are. They were hot enough before, but now that one of their mates has been killed, and five or six wounded, I believe that they would go round the world rather than let her slip through their hands. I shall be up and down all night, Major, and the captain and both mates will be up, too, and I promise that we will let you know if there is anything to tell you.”

“Well, I will lie down, George, but I know that I shall get no sleep. Still, perhaps, it will be better for me to keep my arm quite quiet.”

He was already without his coat, for that had been cut from the neck down to the wrist, to enable George to get at the wound. He kicked off his light canvas shoes, and George helped him to lie down in his berth.

“You will be sure to let me know if she changes her course or anything?”

“I promise you that I will come straight down, Major.”

Three quarters of an hour later, George stole noiselessly down and peeped into the stateroom. He had turned down the swinging lamp before he went up, but there was enough light to enable him to see that his master had fallen off to sleep. He took the news up to Hawkins, who at once gave orders that no noise whatever was to be made. The men still moved about the deck, but all went barefooted.

“The wind keeps just the same,” Hawkins said. “I can’t make it more than three and a half knots through the water. I would give a year’s pay if it would go round dead ahead of us; we should soon pick her up then. As it is, she keeps crawling away. However, we can make her out, on such a night as this, a good deal further than she is likely to get before morning. Besides, we shall be having the moon up soon, and as we are steering pretty nearly east, it will show her up famously.

“Now I will give you the same advice that you gave the governor. You had much better lie down for a bit. Purvis has gone down for a sleep, Perry will go down when he comes up at twelve, and I shall get an hour or two myself later on.”

“I won’t go down,” George said, “but I will bring a couple of blankets up and lie down aft. I promised the Major that I would let him know if there was any change in the wind, or in the brigantine’s course, so wake me directly there is anything to tell him. I have put his bell within reach. I have no doubt I shall hear it through that open skylight if he rings; but if not, wake me at once.”

“All right. Trust us for that.”

Twice during the night George got up and went below. The first time Frank had not moved. The second he found that the tumbler of lime juice and water, on the table at the side of the bunk, was nearly half emptied; and that his master had again gone off to sleep and was breathing quietly and regularly.

“He is going on all right,” he said to Hawkins, when he went up. “There is no fever yet, anyhow, for he has drunk only half that glass of lime juice. If he had been feverish he would not have stopped until he had got to the bottom of it.”

When George next woke, the morning was breaking.

“Anything new?” he asked Purvis, who was now at the tiller.

“Nothing whatever. The governor has not rung his bell. The wind is just as it was, neither better nor worse, and the brigantine is eight miles ahead of us.”

George went forward to have a look at her.

“I think I had better wake him,” he said to himself. “He will have had nine hours of it, and he won’t like it if I don’t let him know that it is daylight. I will get two or three fresh limes squeezed, and then go in to him.”

This time Frank opened his eyes as he entered.

“Morning is breaking, Major, and everything is as it was. I hope that you are feeling better for your sleep. Let me help you up. Here is a tumbler of fresh lime juice.”

“I feel right enough, George. I can scarcely believe that it is morning. How I have slept—and I fancied that I should not have gone off at all.”

Drinking off the lime juice, Frank at once followed Lechmere on deck, and after a word or two with Purvis hurried forward.

“She is a long way ahead,” he said, with a tone of disappointment.

“The mate reckoned it between seven and eight miles, Major.”

“How far is she from the Bec?”

“I don’t know, sir. I did not ask Purvis.”

Frank went aft and repeated the question.

“I fancy that that is the Bec, the furthermost point that we can see,” Purvis said, “and I reckon that she is about halfway to it.”

“Keep her a point or two out, Purvis. The line of shore is pretty straight beyond that, and I want of all things not to lose sight of her for a moment. I would give a good deal to know what she is going to do. I cannot think that she is going to try to go round the southeast point of the island, for if she were she would have laid her head that way before.”

The Osprey edged out until they opened the line of coast beyond the headland, and then kept her course again. There was a trifle more wind as the sun rose higher, and the yacht went fully a knot faster through the water. In less than two hours the brigantine was abreast of the headland. Presently Frank exclaimed:

“She is hauling in her wind.”

“That she is, sir,” Hawkins, who had just come on deck, exclaimed. “She surely cannot be going to run into the bay.”

“She can be going to do nothing else,” Frank said. “What on earth does she mean by it? No doubt that scoundrel is going to land with Miss Greendale, but why should he leave the Phantom at our mercy, when he could have sent her on to Port au Prince?”

“I cannot think what he is doing, sir; but he must have some game on, or he would never act like that.”

“Of course, he may have arranged to go with the lady to some place up in the hills; but why should he sacrifice the yacht?”

“It is a rum start anyhow, and I cannot make head or tail of it. Of course you will capture her, sir?”

“I don’t know, Hawkins. It is one thing to attack her when she has Miss Greendale on board, but if she has gone ashore it would be very like an act of piracy.”

“Yes, sir. But then, you see, they fired into our boat, and killed one of our men, and wounded you and four or five others.”

“That is right enough, Hawkins, but we cannot deny that they did it in self defence. Of course, we know that they must have recognised us, and knew what our errand was, but her captain and crew would be ready to swear that they didn’t, and that they were convinced by our actions that we were pirates. At any rate, you may be sure that the blacks would retain both craft, and that we should be held prisoners for some considerable time, while Miss Greendale would be a captive in the hands of Carthew. I should attack the brigantine if I knew her to be on board, and should be justified in doing so, even if it cost a dozen lives to capture her; but I don’t think I should be justified in risking a single life in attacking the brigantine if she were not on board. To do so would, in the first place, be a distinct act of piracy; and in the second, if we got possession of the brigantine we should have gained nothing by it.”

“We might burn her, sir.”

“Yes, we might, and run the risk of being hung for it. We might take her into Port au Prince, but we have no absolute evidence against her. We could not swear that we had positive knowledge that Miss Greendale was on board, and certain as I am that the female figures I made out on the deck were she and her maid, they were very much too far away to recognise them, and the skipper might swear that they were two negresses to whom he was giving a passage.

“Moreover, if I took the brigantine I should only cut off Carthew’s escape in that direction. His power over Miss Greendale would be just as great, if he had her up among those mountains among the blacks, as it was when he had her on board. I can see that I have made a horrible mess of the whole business, and that is the only thing that I can see. Yesterday I thought it was the best thing to start on a direct chase, as it seemed absolutely certain to me that we should overhaul and capture her. Now I see that it was the worst thing I could have done, and that I ought to have waited until I could take her in the bay.”

“But you see, Major,” said George Lechmere, who was standing by, “if we had gone on searching with the boat, before we had made an examination of the whole bay, there would be no knowing where she had gone, and it might have been months before we could have got fairly on her track again.”

“No, we acted for the best; but things have turned out badly, and I feel more hopelessly at sea, as to what we had better do next, than I have done since the day I got to Ostend. At any rate, there is nothing to be done until we have got a fair sight of the brigantine.”

It seemed, to all on board, that the Osprey had never sailed so sluggishly as she did for the next hour and a half. As they expected, no craft was to be seen on the waters of the bay as they rounded the point, but Dominique and the other pilot had been closely questioned, and both asserted that at the upper end of the bay there was a branch that curved round “like dat, sar,” the latter said, half closing his little finger.

Progress up the bay was so slow that the boats were lowered, and the yacht was towed to the mouth of the curved branch. Here they were completely landlocked, and the breeze died away altogether.

“How long is this bend, Jake?” Frank asked the second pilot in French.

“Two miles, sir; perhaps two miles and a half.”

“Deep water everywhere?”

“Plenty of water; can anchor close to shore. Country boats run in here very often if bad weather comes on. Foreign ships never come here. They always run on to the town.”

“You told us that there were a few huts at the end.”

“Yes, sir. There is a village there, two others near.”

The crew had all armed themselves, and the muskets were again placed ready for use.

“You had better go round, Hawkins,” Frank said, “and tell them that on no account is a shot to be fired unless I give orders. Tell the men that I am just as anxious to fight as they are, and that if they give us a shadow of excuse we will board them.”

“I went round among the men half an hour ago, sir, and told them how the land lay, and Lechmere has been doing the same. They all want to fight, but I have made them see that it might be a very awkward business for us all.”

The men in the boats were told to take it easy, and it was the best part of an hour before they saw, on turning the last bend, the brigantine lying at anchor a little more than a quarter of a mile away.

“She looks full of men,” Frank exclaimed, as turned his glasses upon her.

“Yes, sir,” said the captain, who was using a powerful telescope, “they are blacks. There must be fifty of them beside the crew, and as far as I can see most of them are armed.”

“That explains why he came in here, Hawkins. They have been using this place for the last three weeks, and no doubt have made good friends with the negroes. I dare say Carthew has spent his money freely on them.

“Well, this settles it. We would attack them at sea without hesitation, however many blacks there might be on board, but to do so now would be the height of folly. Five of our men are certainly not fit for fighting, so that their strength in whites is nearly equal to ours. They have got those two little cannon, which would probably reduce our number a bit before we got alongside, and with fifty blacks to help them it is very doubtful whether we should be able to take them by boarding. Certainly we could not do so without very heavy loss.

“We will anchor about two hundred and fifty yards outside her. As long as she lies quiet there we will leave her alone. If she tries to make off we will board her at once. Anchor with the kedge; that will hold her here. Have a buoy on the cable and have it ready to slip at a moment’s notice, and the sails all ready to hoist.”

“Easy rowing,” the captain called to the men in the boats, “and come alongside. We have plenty of way on her to take up a berth.”

In two or three minutes the anchor was dropped and the sails lowered.

“Now I will row across to her,” Frank said, “and tell them that I don’t want to attack them, but I am determined to search their craft.”

“No, Major,” George Lechmere said, firmly. “We are not going to let you throw away your life, and you have no right to do it—at any rate not until after Miss Greendale is rescued. You may be sure of one thing: that Carthew has left orders before going on shore that you are to be shot if you come within range. He will know that if you are killed there will be an end of the trouble. I will go myself, sir.”

Frank made no answer for a minute or two. Then he said:

“In that case you would be shot instead of me. If Carthew is on shore, as I feel sure he is, the others won’t know you from me. I agree with you that I cannot afford to risk my life just now, and yet we must search that brigantine.”

“Me go, sar,” Dominique, who was standing by, said suddenly. “Me take two black fellows in dinghy. Dey no fire at us. Me go dere, tell captain dat you no want to have to kill him and all his crew, but dat you got to search dat craft. If he let search be made, den no harm come of it. If he say no, den we take yacht alongside and kill every man jack. Say dat white sailors all furious, because dey fire at us yesterday, and want bad to have fight.”

“Very well, Dominique. It can do no harm anyhow, and as I feel sure that the lady has been taken ashore, I don’t see why they should refuse.”

Accordingly, Dominique called to two of the negro boatmen to get into the dinghy, and took his seat in the stern. When the boat was halfway between the two vessels there was a hail in French:

“What do you want? If you come nearer we will fire.”

“What want to fire for?” Dominique shouted back. “Me pilot, me no capture ship, single handed. Me want to speak to captain.”

It was evident the answer was understood, for no reply came for a minute or two.

“Well, come along then.”

The words could be heard perfectly on board the yacht.

“The skipper talks English, George. I thought that he would do so. Carthew was sure to have shipped someone who could understand him. I don’t suppose his French is any better than mine.”

The dinghy was rowed to within ten yards of the brigantine.

“Now, what message have you brought me from that pirate?”

“Him no pirate at all. You know dat bery well, massa captain. Dat English yacht; anyone see dat with half an eye. De gentleman there says you have a lady on board dat has been carried off.”

“Then he is a liar!” the Belgian said. “There is no woman on board at all!”

“Well, sar, dat am a matter ob opinion. English gentleman tink dat you hab. You say no. Dat prove bery easy. De gentleman say he wants to search ship. If as you say, she is no here, den ob course no reason for you to say no to dat. If on de other hand you say no, den he quite sure he right, and he come and search whether you like it or no. Den der big fight. Bery strong crew on board dat yacht. Plenty guns, men all bery savage, cause you kill one of der fellows last night. Dey want to fight bad, and if dey come dey kill many. What de use of dat, sar? Why say won’t let search if lady not here? Nothing to fight about. But if you not let us see she not here, den we board de ship, and when we take her we burn her.”

The Belgian stood for two or three minutes without answering. They had seen that there were two or three and twenty men on board the Osprey, and they were by no means sure that this was the entire number. There were three blacks, and there might be a number of them lying down behind the bulwarks or kept below. The issue of a fight seemed to him doubtful. He was by no means sure that his men would fight hard in a cause in which they had no personal interest; and as for the blacks, they would not count for much in a hand-to-hand fight with English sailors.

He had received no orders as to what to do in such a contingency. Presently he turned to three of his men and said in French:

“Go to that stern cabin, and see that there is nothing about that would show that it has been occupied. They have asked to search us. Let them come and find nothing. Things will go quietly. If not, they say they will attack us and kill every man on board and burn the ship, and as we do not know how many men they may have on board, and as they can do us no harm by looking round, if there is nothing for them to find, we had best let them do it. But mind, the orders hold good. If the owner of that troublesome craft comes alongside, you are to pour in a volley and kill him and the sailors with him. That will make so many less to fight if it comes to fighting. But the owner tells me that if he is once killed there will be an end of it.”

He then went to the side, and said to Dominique:

“There is nothing for you to find here. We are an honest trader, and there is nothing worth a pirate’s stealing. But in order to show you that I am speaking the truth, I have no objection to two hands coming on board and going through her. We have nothing to hide.”

Dominique rowed back to the yacht.

“Dey will let her be searched, sar.”

“I thought they would,” Frank said; “and of course that is a sign that there is no one there.”

“I will go, sir,” the skipper said, “as we agreed. He would give anything to get rid of you, and you might be met with a volley when you came alongside. And now there ain’t no use in running risks. If they have been told what you are like, they cannot mistake me for you. You are pretty near a foot taller, and you are better than ten years younger, and I haven’t any hair on my face. I will go through her. I am sure the lady ain’t there, or they would not let me. Still, I will make sure. There are no hiding places in a yacht where anyone could be stowed away, and of course she is, like us, chock full of ballast up to the floor. I shan’t be many minutes about it, sir. Dominique may as well go with me. He can stay on deck while I go below, and may pick up something from the black fellows there.”

“You may as well take him, Hawkins; but you may be very sure that they won’t give him a chance to speak to anyone.”

The captain stepped into the boat and was rowed to the yacht. He and Dominique stepped on to the deck and were lost sight of among the blacks. In ten minutes they appeared at the gangway again, and stepped into their boat. Another minute and she was alongside the Osprey.

“Of course, you found nothing, Hawkins.”

“Nothing whatever, sir. Anything the lady may have left behind had been stowed away in lockers. I looked about to see if I could sight a bit of ribbon or some other woman’s fal-lal, but they had gone ever it carefully. Two of the other state cabins had been occupied. There were men’s clothes hanging there. Of course, I looked into every cupboard where as much as a child could have been stowed away, and looked round the forecastle. Anyhow, there is no woman there now.

“Dominique had to go round with me. The captain evidently did not want to give him a chance of speaking to anyone. The mate and two of the sailors posted themselves at the gangway, so that the two blacks should not be able to talk to the niggers on board. And now, sir, what is to be done next?”

“We will go below and talk it over, captain.

“You come down, too, George. Yes, and Dominique. He may be useful.

“Now, Hawkins,” he went on, when they had taken their seats at the table, “of course, I have been thinking it over all the morning, and I have come to the conclusion that our only chance now is to fight them with their own weapons. As long as we lie here there is no chance whatever of Miss Greendale being brought on board again, so the chase now has got to be carried on on land. If we go to work the right way, there is no reason why we should not be able to trace her. I propose to take Lechmere and Dominique and the four black boatmen. If we stain our faces a little, and put on a pair of duck trousers, white shirts, red sashes, and these broad straw hats I bought at San Domingo, we shall look just like the half-caste planters we saw in the streets there. I should take Pedro, too, but you will want him to translate anything you have to say to Jake.

“I propose that as soon as it is dark tonight we muffle the oars of the dinghy, and row away and land lower down, say a mile or so; and then make off up into the hills before tomorrow morning. Dominique will try to find out something by inquiring at some of the huts of the blacks. They are not likely to know, but if he offers them a handsome reward to obtain news for him, they will go down to the villages and ferret out something. The people there would not be likely to know where they have been taken, but they would be able to point out the direction in which they went on starting. Then we could follow that up, and inquire again.

“We might take a couple of the villagers with us. Belonging here, they would have more chance of getting news from other blacks than strangers would have.”

“Don’t you think, sir, that it would be as well to have four or five men with you?” Hawkins said. “There is no doubt this fellow that you are after is a desperate chap, and he may have got a strong body of these blacks as a guard. He might suspect that, after having pursued him all this way, you might try to follow him on land. You could put the men in hiding somewhere every day while you were making inquiries, and they would be mighty handy if it came to fighting, which it seems to me it is pretty sure to do before you see the lady off.”

“Well, perhaps it would be best, Hawkins; and, as you say, by keeping them hid all day I don’t see that they could increase our difficulties. But then, you see, you will want all your hands here; for if the brigantine sails, whether by night or day, you are to sail too, and to keep close to her wherever she goes. It is not likely that Carthew and Miss Greendale will be on board, but he may very well send orders down to the brigantine to get up the anchor. He would know that we should stick to her, as Miss Greendale might have been taken on board again at night. In that way he would get rid of us from here, and would calculate that we should get tired of following the brigantine in time, or that she would be able to give us the slip, and would then make for some place where he could join her again. So my orders to you will be to stick to her, but not to interfere with her in any way, unless, by any chance, you should discover that Miss Greendale is really on board. In that case I authorise you to board and capture her. They won’t have the blacks on board, and as the wounded are going on all right, and three of them, anyhow, will be able to lend a hand in a couple of days, you will be a match for them; especially as they will soon make up their minds that you don’t mean to attack them, and you will get a chance of running alongside and taking them by surprise.”

“Well, sir, I think that we can do that with four hands less than we have now. You see, there are nineteen and the two mates and myself. Say two of the wounded won’t be able to lend a hand, that makes us twenty, to say nothing of Jake and Pedro. So, even if you took four hands, we should be pretty even in numbers; and if our men could not each whip two Belgians, they had better give up the sea.”

“Yes, I have no doubt that they could do that, and were it not for Carthew and his friend I would not hesitate to take eight men. I don’t know about the other, but you may be sure that Carthew will fight hard. He is playing a desperate game. Still, I think that I might take four, especially as I think the chance of Miss Greendale’s being brought on board, until he believes that we have left these waters, is very small.

“Very well, then, that is settled. The five blacks, Lechmere and myself, and four of the sailors, will make a strong party. Serve muskets and cutlasses out to the blacks; and the same, with a brace of pistols, to each of the hands that go with us. While we are away let two of the men dress up in my white duck shirts and jackets, and in white straw hats. Let them always keep aft, and sit about in the deck chairs, and always go down below by the main companion. That will make them think that I am still on board; while if there is no one on the deck aft they will soon guess that we have landed.

“You understand all that we have been saying, Dominique?”

“Me understand, sar, and tink him bery good plan. Me suah to find out which way dat rascal hab gone. Plenty of black fellows glad to earn two dollar to guide us. Dey no money here. Two dollars big sum to them.”

“All right, Dominique, but we won’t stick at two dollars. If it were necessary I would pay two hundred cheerfully for news.”

“We find dem widout dat,” the black said, confidently. “Not good offer too much. If black man offered two dollars he bery glad. If offered twenty he begin to say to himself, ‘Dis bery good affair; perhaps someone else give forty.'”

“There is something in that, Dominique. Anyhow I shall leave that part of the business to you. As a rule, I shall keep in hiding with the boatmen and sailors all day. I shall be no good for asking questions, for I don’t know much French, and the dialect the negroes of these islands speak is beyond me altogether. I cannot understand the boatmen at all.”

“Black men here bad, sar; not like dem in de other islands. Here dey tink themselves better than white men; bery ignorant fellows, sar. Most of dem lost religion, and go back to fetish. Bery bad dat. All sorts of bad things in dat affair. Kill children and women to make fetish. Bad people, sar, and dey are worse here than at San Domingo.”

There was nothing to do all day, but to sit on deck and watch the brigantine. Most of the blacks had been landed, and only three or four sailors remained on watch on deck. Frank and George Lechmere, in their broad straw hats, sat and smoked in the deck chairs; the former’s eyes wandering over the mountains as if in search of something that might point out Bertha’s hiding place. The hills were for the most part covered with trees, with here and there a little clearing and a patch of cultivated ground, with two or three huts in the centre. With the glasses solitary huts could be seen, half hidden by trees, here and there; and an occasional little wreath of light smoke curling up showed that there were others entirely hidden in the forest.

“Don’t you think, Major,” George Lechmere said after a long pause, “that it would be a good thing to have the gig every night at some point agreed on, such as the spot where we land? You see, sir, there is no saying what may happen. We may have to make a running fight of it, and it would be very handy to have the boat to fall back upon.”

“Yes, I think that a good idea, George. I will tell Hawkins to send it ashore, say at ten o’clock every night. There is no chance whatever of our being down before that. They are sure to have taken her a long distance up the hills; and though, of course, one cannot say at present, it is pretty certain that we shall have to attack after dark.

“It is important that we should land where there is some sort of a path. I noticed one or two such places as we came along. We may as well get into the dinghy and row down and choose a spot now. Of course, they will be watching from the brigantine, but when they see the same number that went come back again, they will suppose that we have only gone for a row, or perhaps to get a shot at anything we come across. We may as well take a couple of guns with us.”

A mile down the inlet they came upon just the spot they were searching for. The shore was level for a few yards from the water’s edge, and from here there was a well-marked path going up the slope behind.

“We will fix upon this spot, George. It will be easy for the boats to find it in the dark, from that big tree close to the water’s edge. Now we will paddle about for half an hour before we go back.”

An hour later they returned to the yacht, and George began at once to make arrangements for the landing.

“I Should keep watch and watch regularly, Hawkins. I do not say that it is likely, but it is quite possible that they may make an attempt to surprise us, cut all our throats, and then sink the Osprey. He might attack with his boats, and with a lot of native craft. At any rate, it is worth while keeping half the crew always on deck. Be sure and light the cabin as usual. They would suspect that I was away if they did not see the saloon skylights lit up.

“There is no saying when I may be back. It may be three nights, it may be six, or, for all that I know, it may be longer than that. You may be sure that if I get a clue I shall follow it up wherever it leads me.”

The strictest silence was maintained among the men. The two men at the oars were told to row very slowly, and above all things to avoid splashing. The boat was exceedingly low in the water, much too low for safety except in perfectly calm water; as, including the two men at the oars, there were thirteen on board.

Frank had thought it, however, inadvisable to take the dinghy also, for this was lying behind the stern, and it might have been noticed had they pulled her up to the gangway. The gig had been purposely left on the side hidden from the brigantine, and as they rowed away pains were taken to keep the yacht in a line with her. They held on this course, indeed, until they were close in to the shore, and then kept in under its shelter until the curve hid them altogether.

“Be very careful as you row back, lads, and go very slowly. A ripple on this smooth water might very well be noticed by them, even if they could not make out a boat.”

“Ay, ay, sir, we will be careful.”

They had brought a lantern with them, covered with canvas, except for a few inches in front.

“Me take him, sar, and go first,” Dominique said. “Den if we meet anyone you all stop quiet, and me go on and talk with them.”

Frank followed Dominique, George keeping beside him where there was room for two to walk abreast, at other times falling just behind. Then came the sailors, and the four black boatmen were in the rear. They had been told that, in case they were halted, and heard Dominique in conversation, they were to pass quietly through the others, and be ready to join him and help him if necessary. With the exception of Dominique, Frank and George Lechmere, all carried muskets. The pilot declined to take one.

“Me neber fired off gun in my life, sar. Me more afraid of gun than of dose rascals. Dominique fight with um sword; dat plenty good for him.”

The path mounted the hill until they were, as Frank thought, some three hundred feet above the water. Here the ground was cultivated, and after walking for ten minutes they saw two or three lights in front.

“You stop here, sar,” Dominique said, handing the lantern to Frank. “Me go on and see how best get round de village. Must not be seen here. If native boat come in at night suah to go up to end ob water, and land at village dere.”

The negro soon returned, and said that the cultivated land extended on both sides of the village, and there was no difficulty in crossing it. The village was passed quietly, and when it was once well behind them they came down upon the path again, which was much larger and better marked than it had been before. After following it for half a mile, they came upon a road, which led obliquely up from the water, and ran somewhat inland.

“This is no doubt the road from the village at the head of the arm of the bay. They have probably come along here, though they may have turned more directly into the hills. That is the first point to find out, Dominique.”

“Yes, sar, next village we see me go in wid two ob de boatmen and ask a few questions.”

Following the path along for another few hundred yards, they saw a road ahead of them. Here they halted, and two of the blacks handed over their muskets and cutlasses to the care of the sailors. Dominique also left his cutlass behind him, and as he went on gave instructions to his two companions.

“Now look here,” he said in negro French, “don’t you say much. I will do the talking, but just say a word or two if they ask questions. Mind we three belong to the brigantine. I am the pilot. The captain has given me a message to send to his friends who have gone up into the hills. He asked me to take it, but I am not sure about the way. I am ready to pay well for a guide. I expect that they will say that the ladies came along, but that they do not know how they went afterwards. Then we ask him to come as guide, and promise to pay him very well.”

By this time they were close to the hut, which, as Dominique assured himself before knocking at the door, stood alone. There was an old man and woman inside, and a boy of about seventeen. Dominique took off his hat as he entered, and said in French:

“Excuse me for disturbing you so late. I am the pilot of a vessel now in the bay, and have been sent by the captain to carry an important message to a gentleman who landed with another and two ladies and some armed men. He did not give me sufficient directions to find him, and I thought that if they passed along here you might be able to put me in the way.”

“They came along here between eleven and twelve, I think. We saw them,” the old man said, “and we heard afterwards that the ladies were being taken away because the ship was, they thought, going to be attacked by a pirate that had followed them. The people from the villages went to help fight, for the gentleman had bought many things and had paid well for them, and each man was promised a dollar if there was no fighting, and four dollars if they helped beat off the pirate.”

“Yes, that was so,” Dominique said, “but it seems that it was a mistake. Still we had cause for alarm, for the other vessel followed us strangely. However, it is all explained now, and I have been sent with this message, because the captain thought that if he sent a white sailor they would not give him the information.”

“Do you know, Sebastian?” the old man asked his son.

“Yes, they turned off to the right two miles further on.”

“Look here, boy,” Dominique said, “we were promised twenty dollars if we took the message straight. Now, if you will go with us and find out, we will give you five of them. As we are strangers to the people here, they might not answer our questions; but if you go and say that you have to carry the message, no doubt they will tell you which way they have gone.”

The lad jumped up.

“I will go with you,” he said; “but perhaps when we get there you will not give me the money.”

“Look here,” Dominique said, taking three dollars from his pocket. “I will leave these with your father, and will hand you the other two as soon as we get within sight of the place where they are.”

The lad was quite satisfied. Five dollars was more than he could earn by two months’ work. As soon as they went out, Dominique whispered to one of the boatmen to go back and tell Frank what had taken place, and to beg him to follow at some distance behind. Whenever they took a fresh turning, one of the boatmen would always be left until he came up.

Frank had some difficulty in understanding the boatman’s French, and it was rather by his gestures than his words that he gathered his meaning. As soon as the message was given the negro hurried on until he overtook Dominique.

“I am sorry now that we did not bring Pedro,” Frank said. “However, I think we made out what he had to say. Dominique has got someone to go with him to do the questioning, as he arranged with me; and he will leave one or other of the men every time he turns off from the road he is following. That will be a very good arrangement. So far we have been most fortunate. We know now that we are following them, and it will be hard if we don’t manage to keep the clue now that we have once got hold of it.”

When they came to the road that branched off to the right, the other boatman was waiting. He pointed up the road and then ran on silently ahead. No fresh turn was made for a long distance. Twice they were stopped by one of the blacks, who managed to inform them that Dominique and the guide were making inquiries at a hut ahead.

The road had now become a mere track, and was continually mounting. Other tracks had branched off, leading, Frank supposed, to small hill villages. After going some ten miles, the lad told Dominique that it was useless for him to go further, for that there were no more huts near the track. Beyond the fact that the two women were on horseback when they passed the last hut, nothing was learned there.

“It is of no use to go further,” the guide said. “There are no houses near here to inquire at, and there are three or four more paths that turn off from here. We must stop until morning, and then I will go on alone and make inquiries of shepherds and cottagers; but, you see, I thought that we should find them tonight. If I work all day tomorrow, I shall expect three more dollars.”

“You shall have them,” Dominique said. “Here is my blanket. I will share one with one of my boatmen.”

The lad at once lay down and pulled the blanket over his head. As soon as he did so, Dominique motioned to the two boatmen to do the same, and then went back along the track until he met Frank’s party. As the hills were for the most part covered with trees almost up to their summits, Frank and his party had only to turn a short distance off from the path, on receiving Dominique’s news that the guide had stopped.

“It is half past one,” Frank said, holding the lantern, which the pilot had left with them, to his watch. “We shall get four hours’ sleep. You had better serve a tot of grog all round, George. It will keep out the damp night air.”

One of the blacks was carrying a basket, and each of the men had brought a water bottle and pannikin.

“Put some water in it, lads,” Frank said, “and it would be a good thing to eat a bit of biscuit with it.”

Dominique had told Frank that the guide had made some remark about the two blacks dropping behind so often, and the latter took out his handkerchief, tore it into eight pieces, and gave it to him.

“Wherever you turn off, Dominique, drop one of these pieces on the path. That will be quite sufficient.”

“Yes, sar; but you see we don’t know when we start up path whether it be right path or no. We go up one, if find dat hit not de one dey go, den come back again and try anoder. What we to do?”

After thinking for some little time, Frank suggested that Dominique’s best way would be to tell the guide that he was footsore, and that as several paths would have to be searched, he and one of the men would sit down there. The other would accompany the boy, and bring down word when the right path had been discovered.

As soon as it became light Frank, without rousing the men, went out into the path and moved cautiously up it. He had but just started when he saw Dominique coming towards him.

“All right, sar. Boy gone on; he hunt about. When he find he send Sam back to fetch me. De oder stay with him.”

“Oh, you have sent both with him.”

“Yes, sar, me thought it better. If only one man go, when he come back, boy could talk to people. Perhaps talk too much, so sent both men.”

“That was the best plan, no doubt,” Frank agreed. “I will join the men, and remain there until you come for me.”

“Dat best thing, sar. People might come along, better dey not see you.”

It was twelve o’clock before Dominique joined the waiting group in the wood.

“They have been a long time finding the track, Dominique.”

“Yes, sar, bery long time. Dey try four tracks, all wrong. Den dey try ‘nother. Sam say boy tell him try that last, because bad track; lead ober hills, to place where Obi man live. Black fellow no like to go there. Bad men there; steal children away, make sacrifice to fetish. All people here believe that Obi man bery strong. Dey send presents to him to make rain or to kill enemy, but dey no like go near him demselves. Dere was a hut a little up dat road. Party went by dere yesterday. No more houses on road. Sam say boy wait dere till he bring me back to him; den go home. Not like to go further; say can’t miss way dat path. Leads straight to Obi man’s place. Fetish on road strike people dead dat go dar without leab ob Obi man.”

“That will suit us well altogether,” Frank said. “How far is it to where the guide is?”

“One and a half hours’ walk.”

“Then we will be off at once.”

All were glad to be on the move again, and in spite of the heat they proceeded at a rapid pace, until the boatman, Sam, said that they were close to the spot where he had left his companions with the guide. The rest then entered the wood, and Dominique went on with the boatman.

Ten minutes later a young negro came down the path. They had no doubt that it was the guide. Dominique arrived two or three minutes later.

“I suppose that was the guide that went down,” Frank said, as he stepped out.

“Dat him, sar,” he said. “Quite sure path go to Obi man’s place. It was miles away in centre of hills. I pretend want him to go on. He said no go for thousand dollars. So me pay him his money, and he go back. He tell me no use hunt for friends if Obi man hab not giben dem leab to go and see him. Den the fetish change dem all into snakes. If he gib leab and not know dat me and oder two men were friends, den de fetish change us into snakes.”

“Well, there is one comfort, Dominique, we shall be able to march boldly along without being afraid of meeting anyone.”

“Yes, sar. Sam be a little frightened, but not much. Not believe much in San Domingo about fetish. Dey better dan dese Hayti people. Still Sam not like it.”

“I suppose you told him that he was a fool, Dominique?”

“Yes, sar. Me tell him, too, dat white man tink nothing ob Obi man. Hang him by neck if he tries fetish against dem.”

Having picked up Sam, they proceeded at a brisk pace along the path, Frank leading the way with George Lechmere.

“You see,” he said, “Carthew must have been uneasy in his mind all along. I have no doubt that directly he put into the bay, and decided to make this his headquarters, he set about preparing some place where he could carry them off to, and where there would be very little chance of their being traced. Down at the village by the water he heard of this Obi man. He has evidently great power in this part of the island. These fellows are all great rascals, and Carthew may have either gone or sent to him, and made arrangements that he and a party should if necessary be allowed to establish a camp in the valley where this fellow lives; of course, promising him a handsome present. He could have chosen no safer place. Following hard as we have done on his track, we have obtained a clue; but it is not probable that any of the natives whom Dominique has questioned has the smallest idea that the party were going towards this fetish man’s place. In fact, the only man that could know it was the negro at that last hut, and you may be sure that were he questioned by any searching party he would not dare to give any information that might excite the anger of this man.

“It is likely enough that this fellow has a gang of men with him, bound to him partly by interest and partly by superstitious fears. We shall probably have to reckon with these fellows in addition to Carthew’s own force. He seems to have taken ten or twelve of the blacks from the village with him. They would have no fear of going when he told them that he was under the special protection of the fetish man. Then, you see, he has four of his own sailors, his friend and himself; so that we have an equal number of white men and five negroes against his ten or twelve and the fetishman’s gang.

“However, I hope that we shall have the advantage of a surprise. If so, I think that we may feel pretty confident that we shall, at any rate, in the first place, carry off Miss Greendale and her maid. The danger won’t be in the attack, but in the retreat. That Obi fellow may raise the whole country against us. There is one thing––the population is scanty up here, and it won’t be until we get down towards the lower ground that they will be able to muster strongly enough to be really formidable; but we may have to fight hard to get down to the boats. You see, it is a twenty miles’ march. We shan’t be able to go very fast, for, although Miss Greendale and her maid might keep up well for some distance, they would be worn out long before we got to the shore, while the black fellows would be able to travel by other paths, and to arouse the villagers as they went, and make it very hot indeed for us.”

“There is one thing—we shall have the advantage of darkness, Major, and in the woods it would be difficult for them to know how fast we were going. We might strike off into other paths, and, if necessary, carry Miss Greendale and her maid. We could make a couple of litters for them, and, with four to a litter, could travel along at a good rate of speed.”

In another three hours, they found that the path was descending into a deep and narrow valley. On the way they passed many of the fetish signs, so terrible to the negro’s imagination. Pieces of blue string, with feathers and rags attached to them, were stretched across the path. Clumps of feathers hung suspended from the trees. Flat stones, with berries, shells, and crooked pieces of wood, were nailed against the trunks of the trees.

At first the four negro boatmen showed signs of terror on approaching these mysterious symbols, and grew pale with fright when Frank broke the strings that barred the path; but when they saw that no evil resulted from the audacious act, and that no avenging bolt fell upon his head, they mustered up courage, and in time even grinned as the sailors made jeering remarks at the mysterious emblems.

As soon as they began to descend into the valley, and it was evident that they were nearing their destination, Frank halted.

“Now, Dominique, do you object to go down and find out all about it? I am quite ready to go, but you are less likely to be noticed than I am. There is no hurry, for we don’t wish to move until within an hour of sunset, or perhaps two hours. There is no fear of our meeting with any interruption until we get back to the point where we started this morning, and it would be as well, therefore, to be back there just before dark.”

“Me go, sar. Me strip. Dat best; not seen so easy among de trees.”

“Quite right, Dominique. What we want to find out is the exact position of the camp and the hut, for no doubt they built a hut of some sort, where Miss Greendale is; and see how we can best get as close to it as possible. Then it would be as well to find out what sort of village this Obi man has got, and how many men it probably contains. But don’t risk anything to do this. Our object is to surprise Carthew’s camp, and we must take our chance as to the blacks. If you were seen, and an alarm given, Carthew might carry Miss Greendale off again. So don’t mind about the Obi village, unless you are sure that you can obtain a view of it without risk of being seen.”

“Me manage dat, sar,” the negro said, confidently. “Dey not on de lookout. Me crawl up among de trees and see eberyting; no fear whatsomeber.”

Dominique stripped and started down the path, while the rest retired into the shelter of the trees. An anxious two hours passed, the party listening intently for any sound that might tell of Dominique’s being discovered. All, however, remained quiet, except that they were once or twice startled by the loud beating of a drum, and the deep blasts from the fetish horn. At the end of that time there was a general exclamation of relief as Dominique stepped in from among the trees.

“Well, Dominique, what have you found?” Frank exclaimed as he started to his feet.

“Me found eberyting, sar. First come to village. Not bery big, twenty or thirty men dere. Den a hundred yards furder tree huts stand. Dey new huts, but not built last night, leaves all dead, built eight or ten days ago. Me crawl on tomack among de trees, and lay and watch. In de furder hut two white lady. Dey come in and out, dey talk togeder, de oders not go near them. Next hut to them, twenty, thirty yards away, two white men. Dey sit on log and smoke cigar. In de next hut four white sailor. Den a little distance away, twelve black fellows sit round fire and cook food. Plenty of goats down in valley, good gardens and lots of bananas.”

“How did the white ladies seem?”

“Not seem anyting particular, sar. Dey neber look in de direction ob oders. Just talk togeder bery quiet. Me see dere lips move, but hear no voice. Hear de voice of men quite plain.”

“How close can we get without being seen?”

“About fifty yards, sar. Huts put near stream under big trees. Trees not tick just dar; little way lower down banana trees run down to edge ob stream. If can get round de village on dat side widout being seen, can go through bananas, den dash across de stream and run for de ladies. Can get dere before de oders. Besides, if dey run dat way we shoot dem down.”

“Thank God, that is all satisfactory,” Frank said. “But it is hard having to wait here another five hours before doing anything.”

“We are ready to go and pitch into them at once, sir,” one of the sailors said. “You have only to say the word.”

“Thank you, lads, but we must wait till within an hour or two of sunset. I expect that we shall have to fight our way back, and we shall want darkness to help us. It would be folly to risk anything, just as success seems certain after these months of searching. Still, it is hard to have to wait.

“It is getting on to twelve o’clock. You had better get that basket out and have your dinners.”

The next four hours seemed to him interminable. The sailors and negroes had gone to sleep as soon as they had finished their meal and smoked a pipe. Frank moved about restlessly, sometimes smoking in short, sharp puffs, sometimes letting his pipe go out every minute and relighting it mechanically, and constantly consulting his watch. At last he sat down on a fallen tree, and remained there without making the slightest motion, until George Lechmere said:

“I think it is time now, Major.”

“Thank goodness for that, George. I made up my mind that I would not look at my watch again until it was time.

“Now, lads, before we start listen to my final orders. If we are discovered as we go past the village, we shall turn off at once and make straight for the camp. Don’t waste a shot on the blacks. They are not likely to have time to gather to oppose us, but cut down anyone that gets in your way. When we are through the village make straight to the farthest hut. Don’t fire a shot till we have got between that and the next, and then go straight at Carthew and his gang. If I should fall, Lechmere will take the command. If he, too, should fall, you are to gather round the ladies and fight your way down to the landing place. Take Dominique’s advice as to paths and so on. He and his men know a good deal better than you do—but remember, the great duty is to take the ladies on board safe.

“The moment you get them there, tell the captain my orders are that you are to man the two boats, row straight at the brigantine, drive the crew overboard and sink her. Then you are to sail for England with Miss Greendale. The brigantine must be sunk, for if Carthew gets down there he will fill her with blacks and sail in pursuit; and as there is not much difference in speed between the two boats, she might overtake you if you carried away anything. You must get rid of her before you sail.

“What have you got there, George?”

“Two stretchers, Major. Dominique and I have been making them for the last two hours. We can leave them here, sir, by the side of the path, and pick them up as we come along back.”

A couple of minutes later the party started. They followed the path down until nearly at the bottom of the hill. Here the trees grew thinner, and Dominique, who was leading, turned to the right. They made their way noiselessly through the wood, Dominique taking them a much wider circuit round the village than he himself had made, and bringing them out from the trees at the lower end of the plantation of bananas.

Hitherto they had been walking in single file, but Frank now passed along the order for them to close up.

“Keep together as well as you can,” he said, when they were assembled; “and mind how you pass between the trees. If you set these big trees waving, it might be noticed at once.”

Very cautiously they stole forward until they reached the edge by the stream. Frank looked through the trees. Four white sailors were lying on the ground, smoking, in front of their hut. Carthew and his companion were stretched in two hammocks hung from the tree under which their hut stood. Bertha and her maid had retired into their bower.

“Now, lads,” he said, as with his revolver in his right hand he prepared for the rush. “Don’t cheer, but run silently forward. The moment they catch sight of us you can give a cheer.

“Now!” and he sprang forward into the stream, which was but ankle deep.

The splash, as the whole party followed him, at once attracted the attention of the sailors; who leaped to their feet with a shout, and ran into their hut, while at the same moment Carthew and his companion sprang from their hammocks, paused for a moment in surprise at the men rushing towards them, and then also ran into their hut, Carthew shouting to the blacks to take to their arms.

“Go straight at them, George,” Frank shouted, running himself directly towards the nearest hut, just as Bertha, startled at the noise, came to its entrance.

She stood for an instant in astonishment, then with a scream of joy ran a step or two and fell forward into his arms.

“Thank God, I have found you at last,” he said. “Wait here a moment, darling. I will be back directly. Go into the hut until I come.”

But Bertha was too overpowered with surprise and delight to heed his words, and Frank handed her to her maid, who had run out behind her.

“Take her in,” he said, as he carried her to the entrance of the hut, “and stay there until I come again.”

Then he ran after his party. A wild hubbub had burst forth. Muskets and pistols were cracking. Carthew, as he ran out of the hut, discharged his pistol at the sailors, but in his surprise and excitement missed them; and before he had time to level another, George Lechmere bounded upon him, and with a shout of “This is for Martha Bennett,” brought his cutlass down upon his head.

He fell like a log, and at the same moment one of the sailors shot his companion. Then they dashed against the Belgian sailors, who had been joined by the blacks.

“Give them a volley, lads!” George shouted.

The four sailors fired, as a moment later did the boatmen, and then cutlass in hand rushed upon them.

Just as they reached them Frank arrived. There was but a moment’s resistance. Two of the sailors had fallen under the volley, a third was cut down, and the fourth, as well as the blacks, fled towards the village. Here the Obi drum was beating fiercely.

“Load again, lads,” Frank shouted. “Two of you come back with me.”

He ran with them back to the end hut, but Bertha had now recovered from her first shock.

“Come, darling,” he said, “there is not a moment to lose. We must get out of this as soon as we can.

“Come along, Anna.

“Thompson, do you look after her. I will see to Miss Greendale.”

Just as they reached the others, a volley was fired from the village by the blacks of Carthew’s party, who were armed with muskets. Then they, with thirty other negroes, rushed out with loud shouts.

“Don’t fire until they are close,” Frank shouted. “Now let them have it.”

The volley poured into them, at but ten paces distance, had a deadly effect. The blacks paused for a moment, and the rescuing party, led by George Lechmere and Dominique, rushed at them. The sailors’ pistols cracked out, and then they charged, cutlass in hand.

For a moment the blacks stood, but the fierce attack was too much for them, and they again fled to the village.

“Stop, Dominique!” Frank shouted, for the big pilot, who had already cut down three of his opponents, was hotly pursuing them. “We must make for the path at once.”

In a couple of minutes they had gained it.

“Anyone hurt?” Frank asked.

One of the boatmen had an arm broken by a bullet, and two of the sailors had received spear wounds at the hands of the villagers. They were not serious, however, and leaving George Lechmere to cover the rear, they started up the path; Dominique, as usual, leading the way, Frank following behind him with Bertha, who had hitherto not spoken a word.

“Am I dreaming?” she asked now, in a tone of bewilderment. “Is it really you, Frank?”

“You are not dreaming, dear, and it is certainly I—Frank Mallett. Now tell me how you got on.”

“As well as might be, Frank, but it was a terrible time. Please do not talk about it yet. But how is it that you are here? It seems a miracle.

“Oh, how ill you are looking! And your arm is in a sling, too.”

“That is nothing,” he said; “merely a broken collarbone. As to my looking ill, you must remember, I have had almost as anxious a time as you.”

“Then it was the Osprey, after all,” she exclaimed, suddenly, “that we saw the last day that we were out sailing. We were on deck, and I was not noticing—I did not notice much then—when Anna said to me, ‘That looks like an English yacht, miss. I am sure Mr. Carthew thinks she is chasing us.’

“Then I got up and looked round. I could not see for certain, but it did look like a yacht, and I thought that it was about the size of the Osprey. Those two men were standing with their backs to us looking at it through their glasses, and Carthew happened to turn round and saw me standing up, and at once said: ‘You must go below. I believe that is a pirate chasing us.’

“I said that it was nothing to me if it was. One pirate was just as good as another. Then he said that if I would not go down he should be obliged to use force, and called four men aft. So as it was of no use resisting, we went down. Presently we felt that the course had been changed. Late in the evening we heard them fire the two guns, and then some musket shots. Later on the man came down and told us that the pirates had tried to attack us in their boats, and that they had beaten them off, and that there was no further danger. But for all that I could see that he was troubled.”

“That was when I was hit, dear. We had not reckoned on the two guns, and with only the gig and dinghy, with one man killed and five of us wounded, it was too stiff a business, though we should have persevered, but that squall came down on us from the hills, and the Phantom, moreover, left us standing still. We believed that we should come up with the schooner in the morning.”

“But how did you come here, Frank? How did you know where we had been taken?”

“It is a long story, dear. We started in pursuit four days after you had been carried off. I will tell you all about it when we get safe again on board the yacht. I am afraid we shall have some trouble yet. Now if you are quite recovered from your surprise, do you feel equal to hurrying on? Every moment is of importance.”

“Oh, yes,” she said. “He will be after us.”

“He won’t,” Frank said. “George Lechmere cut him down. Whether he killed him or not I cannot say, but I don’t fancy anyhow that he will be able to take up the chase. It is that rascally Obi man I am afraid of. He has great power over the people, and may raise the whole country to attack us.”

“I am ready to run as fast as you like, Frank.”

“We may as well go at a trot for a bit.”

Then raising his voice, he said:

“We will go at double, lads, now.

“Put your arm on my shoulder, Bertha, and we can fancy that we are going to waltz.”

“I feel so happy that I want to cry, Frank,” she said as they started.

“Don’t do that until you get on board the Osprey.”

As they passed the spot where they had halted, George Lechmere told two of the blacks to pick up the stretchers and carry them along. They were merely two light poles, with a wattle work formed of giant creepers worked for some six feet in length between them.

“What are those for?” Bertha asked, as she passed them.

“Those are to carry you and Anna along when you get exhausted. It is twenty miles to the coast, you know.”

“I feel as if I could walk any distance to get on board the Osprey again.”

“I have no doubt that you have the spirit, Bertha, but I question whether you have the strength; especially after being over three months without any exercise at all. I felt it myself yesterday, although we did little more than ten miles.”

“Oh, but then you have been wounded. And you do look so ill, Frank.”

“I dare say the wound had a little to do with it,” he said; “but of course the climate is trying too; though it is cooler up on the hills than it is in that bay.”

“Now, Frank, the first question of all is—How is my mother? What did she do when I was missing? It must have been awful for her.”

“Of course, it was a terrible anxiety, Bertha, but she bore it better than would be expected, especially as she had not been well before.”

“It troubled me more, Frank, than even my own affairs. As soon as I had time to think at all, I could not imagine what she would do, and the only comfort was that she had you to look after her.”

“No doubt it was a comfort, dear, that she had someone to lean upon a little.

“Halt!” he broke off suddenly, as there was the sound of a stick breaking among the trees close by. “Stand to your arms, men, and gather closely.

“Bertha, do you and Anna take your place in the centre, and please lie down.”

“I cannot do that, Frank,” she said, positively. “Here you are all risking your lives for us, and now you want me to put myself quite safe while you are all in danger.”

“I want to be able to fight, Bertha, free of anxiety, and to be able to devote my whole attention to the work. This I can’t do if I know that you are exposed to bullets.”

“Well, I can’t lie down anyhow, Frank; but Anna and I will crouch down if you say that we must when they begin to fire.”

They were silent for two or three minutes, and no sounds were heard in the wood.

“We shall be attacked sooner or later,” Frank said quietly to the men. “We will take to the trees on our right if we are attacked from the left, and to those on the left if they come at us from the right. If we are attacked on both sides at once, take to the right.

“George, do you and Harrison and Jones get behind trees, next to the path. It will be your business to prevent anyone from passing on that side. I, with the other two, will take post behind trees facing the other way. The four boatmen with Dominique will shelter themselves in the bushes between us, with Miss Greendale and her maid in the middle. They will be the reserve, and if a rush is made from either side, they will at once advance and beat it back.

“You understand, Dominique?”

“Me understand, sar. If those fellows come we charge at them. These fellows no used to shoot, sar. Better give muskets to others. We do best with our swords.”

“That is the best plan.

“You take one of the muskets, George, and give one to Harrison. The two men on my side had better have the others, as I can’t use one.

“You understand, lads. These will be spare arms. Keep them in reserve if possible, so as to check the fellows when they make a rush. Now do you all understand?

“You explain it to your men, Dominique.

“Now we will go on again, and at the double. It will be as much as those fellows can do to keep up with us in this thick wood.”

Ten minutes passed. Then there was a loud shout and the blowing of a deep horn on their left, followed by a yell from the wood on both sides.

“To the right,” Frank shouted, and the party ran in among the trees.

“Get in among that undergrowth with Anna,” he said to Bertha.

“Gather there, Dominique, with your men. We shall want you directly. They are sure to make a rush at first.

“Now, lads, one of you take that tree; the other the one to the right,” and he placed himself behind one between them. On glancing round he saw that George had already posted his two men, and had taken up his station between them.

“All hands kneel down,” he said. “These bushes will hide us from their sight. If we stand up we may be hit by shots from behind.”

A moment later there was a general discharge of firearms round them, and then some forty negroes rushed at them.

“On your feet now, men,” Frank shouted. “Take steady aim and bring down a man with each shot.”

A cheer broke from the sailors. Four shots were fired from Frank’s side, and five from George Lechmere’s, and with them came the cracks of Frank’s revolver, followed almost directly afterwards by those of the pistols carried by the men, and George Lechmere’s revolver.

Scarce a shot missed. Ten of the negroes fell, and those attacking from the right turned and bolted among the trees. The negroes on the left, however, inspired by the roaring of the horns and the shrieking yells of the Obi man, came on with greater determination and dashed across the path.

“Now, Dominique, at them!” Frank shouted, as with the two sailors he rushed across.

The numbers now were not very uneven. Of the twenty negroes on that side, five had fallen under the musketry and pistol fire, and two others were wounded; and as Frank’s party and the blacks fell upon them they hesitated. The struggle was not doubtful for a moment. Six of the negroes were cut down, and the rest fled.

“Don’t pursue them, men,” Frank shouted; and the sailors at once drew off, but Dominique and his black boatmen still pursued hotly, overtaking and cutting down three more of their assailants.

“All is over for the present,” Frank said, going to the spot where Bertha and Anna were crouching. “Not one of us is hurt as far as I know, and we have accounted for sixteen or seventeen of these rascals.”

Bertha got up. She was a little pale, but perfectly calm and quiet.

“It is horrid, being hidden like that when you are all fighting, Frank,” she said, reproachfully.

“We were hidden, too, till they came at us,” he said; “and very lucky it was, for some of us would probably have been hit, bad shots though they are.”

“No, Frank, not before all these men,” she remonstrated.

“What do I care for the men?” he laughed. “Do you think if they had their sweethearts with them they would mind who was looking on?

“There, I must be content with that for the present. We must push on again.”

Dominique had returned now with his men, and the party started again at a trot, as soon as the firearms had all been reloaded.

“We shan’t have any more trouble, shall we?” Bertha asked.

“Not for the present,” he said. “We have fairly routed the blacks who came here with you, and the villagers, and they certainly won’t attack us again until they are largely reinforced; which they cannot be until we get down towards the sea, for there are no villages of any size in the hills.”

After keeping up the pace for a mile, Frank ordered the men to drop into a walk again.

“Now, Frank, about my mother?” Bertha asked again as soon as she had got her breath; and Frank related all that had taken place up to the time that the Osprey sailed.

“Then she is all alone in town? It must be terrible for her, waiting there without any news of me. It is a pity that she did not go home. It would not have mattered about me, and it would have been so much better for her among her old friends. They would all have sympathised with her so much.”

“I quite agreed with her, Bertha, and think still that it was better that she should stay in London. I am sure the sympathy would do her harm rather than good. As it is, now she will be kept up by the belief that she is doing all in her power for you, by saving you from the hideous amount of talk and chatter there would be if this affair were known.”

“Of course, it would be horrid, Frank, and perhaps you are right, but it must be an awful trial.”

“I have done all I could to set her mind at rest,” Frank said. “I wrote to her directly I arrived at Gibraltar, and again as soon as I got the letter from Madeira saying that the brigantine had touched there. I wrote from Madeira again with what news I could pick up, and again from Porto Rico, from the Virgin Islands, and from San Domingo. Of course, from there I was able to say that the scent was getting hot, and that I had no doubt I should not be long before I fell in with the brigantine. Then I sent another letter from Jaquemel. That seems to me a long time ago, for we have done so much since; but it is not more than ten days back. We will post another letter the first time that we touch anywhere, on the off chance of its going home by a mail steamer, and getting there before us.”

“It was wonderful your finding out that I had been carried off in the Phantom. That was what troubled me most, except about mother. I did not see how you could guess that the brigantine we had both noticed the day before was the Phantom. I felt sure that you would suspect who it was, but I could not see how you would connect the two together.”

“You see, I did not guess it at first,” he replied. “I felt sure that it was Carthew from the first minute when I found that you had not landed, and it was just the luck of finding out that the Phantom’s crew had returned, and that they had been paid off at Ostend, that put me on the track. Of course, directly I heard that she had been altered and turned into a brigantine, I felt sure that she was the craft that we had noticed; and as soon as I learned through Lloyd’s that she had sailed south from the Lizard, I felt certain that she must have gone up the Mediterranean, or to the West Indies. I felt sure it was the latter. However, it was a great relief when I got a letter from Lloyd’s agent at Madeira, telling me that the brigantine had touched there, and I felt certain that I should hear of you either here or at one of the South American ports.”

They kept on until they reached the hut at the point where the path forked. It was found to be empty.

“Open the basket,” Frank said. “We must have a meal before we go further. We have come about half the distance.

“Now, Bertha, there is the bay, you see, and it is all downhill, which is a comfort. Do you feel tired, dear?”

“Not tired,” she said, “but my feet are aching a bit. You see, I had thin deck shoes on when we were hurried ashore, and they are not good for walking long distances in.”

“Well, we will have a quarter of an hour’s rest,” he said. “It is getting dark fast, and by the time we go on it will be night, and will be a great deal cooler than it has been.”

“I can go on at once if you like,” she said.

“No, dear; there is no use in hurrying. We may as well stop half an hour as a quarter. Don’t you hear that?”

The girl listened.

“It is a horn, is it not?” she asked, after a pause.

“Yes, I can hear it in half a dozen directions,” he said. “That scoundrel of an Obi man is down there ahead of us, and that unearthly row he and his followers are making will rouse up all the villagers within hearing. We will try to give him the slip. I intend to take the path we came by for four or five miles, and then to strike off by one to the right, and hit the main road to Port au Prince, a good bit to the east of where we quitted it. The country is all cultivated there, and we will strike down towards the bay and make our way through the fields, and if we have luck we may be able to get down to the place where the gig will be waiting for us without meeting any of them.”

“Oh, I do hope there will be no more fighting, Frank! You may not all get off as well as you did last time.”

“We must take our chance of that, dear. At any rate the country will be open, and we shall be able to keep in a solid body, and I have no doubt that we shall be able to beat them off.”

“Could we not go down to the shore, and get a boat somewhere, and row to the yacht?”

“Yes, we might manage that, perhaps. That is a capital idea, Bertha. There is a place called Nipes, twelve or fourteen miles east of our inlet. It won’t be very much further to go, for we have been bearing eastward all the way here. Making sure that we shall go straight for the yacht, they will gather in that direction first, and won’t think of giving the alarm so far east. There was a path, if I remember right, that came up from that direction a quarter of a mile further on. We will turn off by it.”

As soon as the meal was over they started again. They found the path Frank had spoken of, and followed it down until they came among trees. Then Dominique lighted his lantern again.

For a time the two women kept on travelling, but after five miles Bertha was compelled to stop and take off her shoes altogether. For two miles further she refused the offers to carry her, but at last was forced to own that she could go no further.

The two litters were at once brought up, and the four sailors, Dominique and the three uninjured boatmen, lifted them and went along at a trot, George Lechmere leading the way with a lantern. The weight of the girls, divided between four strong men, was a mere trifle, and they now made much more rapid progress than they had before, and in three quarters of an hour arrived at Nipes.

As they got to the little town, Bertha and Anna got out and walked, so as to attract as little attention as possible among the negroes in the streets. Dominique answered all questions, stating that they were a party belonging to a ship in Marsouin Bay, that they had been on a sporting expedition over the hills, and had lost their way, and now wanted a boat to take them back.

As soon as they reached the strand half a dozen were offered to them. Dominique chose the one that looked the fastest. He told the boatman that the ladies were very tired, and they wanted to get back as soon as possible, and he must, therefore, engage ten men to row, as the wind was so slight as to be useless.

As he did not haggle about terms, the bargain was speedily concluded, and in a few minutes they put off. The men, animated by the handsome rate of pay they were to receive, rowed hard, and in a little over two hours they entered the inlet at the end of which the Osprey was lying. As they neared the end the boatmen were surprised at seeing a large number of people with torches on the rising ground, and something like panic seized them when they heard the Obi horns sounding. They dropped their oars at once.

“Tell them to row on, Dominique,” Frank said, “and to keep close along the opposite side. Tell them that if they don’t do so we will shoot them. No; tell them that we will chuck them overboard and row on ourselves.”

“There is the place where we landed,” Frank said presently to Bertha (the men had resumed their rowing), “just under where you see that clump of torches.”

“Ah, there is our boat,” he broke off suddenly, as it appeared in the line of the reflection of the torches on the water.

It was half a mile away, lying a few hundred yards from shore. He took out the dog whistle that he used when coming down to the landing stage to summon the boat from the yacht, and blew it. There was a stir in the boat, and a moment later it was speeding towards them.

“Row on, Dominique. She will pick us up in no time.”

And long before they reached the Osprey the gig was alongside.

“Thank God that you are back, sir,” they cried as they came abreast. “We have been in terrible anxiety about you. Have you succeeded, sir?”

“Don’t cheer. I want to get back to the yacht before they know that we are here. Yes, thank God, I have succeeded. Miss Greendale and her maid are on board.”

A low cheer, which even his order could not entirely suppress, came from the three men in the boat. The mate was himself rowing stroke.

“We did not dare bring any more hands, sir,” he said. “There has been such a hubbub on shore for the last hour and a half that we thought it likely that they and the Phantom’s people might be going to attack us. We rowed to the landing at ten o’clock, as you ordered us, but in a short time a party of men came along close to the water, and as soon as they saw us they opened fire on us, and we had to row off sharp. We have been lying off here since. We did not see how you could get down through that lot, but we thought it better to wait. I did think there was just a hope that you might make your way down to the coast somewhere else and come on in a shore boat.

“Well, here we are, sir.”

As he spoke they came alongside the Osprey.

“Is it you, sir?” Hawkins asked eagerly.

“Look here, lads,” Frank replied, standing up, “above all things I don’t want any cheering, or any noise whatever. I don’t want them to know that we have got on board. I know that you will all rejoice with me, for I have brought off Miss Greendale, and none of our party except one of the boatmen has been wounded in any way seriously.”

There was a murmur of deep satisfaction from the crew. As Bertha stepped on deck the men crowded round with low exclamations of “God bless you, miss! This is a good day indeed for us!”

Bertha, in reply to the greeting, shook hands all round.

“I see you have not put out the lights in the cabin yet, Hawkins. I will just go down with Miss Greendale and see that she is comfortable, and then I will come up again.”

“Oh, Frank!” the girl exclaimed, bursting into tears as they entered the saloon, “this is happiness indeed. I feel at home already.”

Frank remained with her for three or four minutes.

“Now, dear, take possession of your old cabin again. No doubt Anna is there already. She had better share it with you.

“Now I must go up and finish with the Phantom at once. Do not be afraid, I shall take them by surprise, and there will be very little fighting.”

And without waiting for remonstrance he hurried on deck.

“Are the men armed, Hawkins?”

“That they are, sir. We have been expecting an attack every minute. There have been three or four shore boats going off to the brigantine within the last quarter of an hour.”

“I am going to be beforehand with them, Hawkins.”

“They’ve got both those guns pointing this way, sir.”

“I am not coming from this way to attack them, Hawkins. I am going to put all hands in that native craft I came in, row off a little distance from this side, then make a circuit, and come down on the other side of them. I will leave George Lechmere here with four men, with three muskets apiece, so that if they should start before we get there they can keep them off until we arrive. If I can get a few of the boatmen to enlist I will do so.”

He spoke to Dominique, who went to the side and asked:

“If any of you are disposed to stop here to guard the craft for a quarter of an hour, in case she is attacked, the gentleman here will pay twenty dollars a man; but remember that you may have to fight.”

The whole crew rose. Twenty dollars was a fortune to them.

“Come on board, then,” Dominique said.

“I don’t know whether these fellows are to be trusted, George, but I hope you won’t be attacked. Keep these fifteen muskets for yourselves. Put four apiece by the bulwarks and station yourselves by them. Keep your eyes on these boatmen, put the oars of the boat handy for them, and let them arm themselves with them. If you are attacked an oar is not a bad weapon for repelling boarders.”

“All right, Major. I will station two of them between each of us.”

By this time the captain had picked out the four men that were to remain, and had the rest drawn up in readiness to get into the boat.

“Get in quietly, lads,” Frank said. “Ten of you man the oars. We will put an end to the Phantom’s wanderings tonight.”

“That we will, sir,” was the hearty rejoinder of the men.

Frank took the tiller, and they rowed straight away from the Osprey for a hundred yards, when Frank steered towards the right bank, where there were no torches, and where all was quiet. The brigantine could be seen plainly, standing up against the glare of the torches on the other side. They rowed three or four hundred yards beyond her, then taking a turn approached her on the side opposite to that facing the Osprey. Three native boats like their own were lying beside her, and there was a crowd of men on her deck.

Frank brought her round alongside of these boats. He had already ordered that firearms were not to be used in the first place.

“I don’t want to kill any of these blacks,” he said. “They have nothing to do with the affair, and they believe us to be pirates. I expect that we shall get on board unnoticed. Then with a cheer go at them with the flat of your cutlasses. You can use the edge on the whites if they resist. But I expect that the blacks will all jump overboard in a panic, and that then the whites, seeing that they are outnumbered, will surrender.”

No one, indeed, noticed them. There was a great hubbub and confusion, and the captain was endeavouring to get them into something like order; when suddenly there was a loud cheer, and Frank’s party fell upon them. Yells of terror rose as the sailors, Dominique, and his blacks sprang among them, striking heavily with the flat of their cutlasses, and the sailors using their fists freely. Frank had brought with him a heavy belaying pin, and used it with great effect.

The blacks in the panic fell over each other, and rushing to the side jumped overboard, some into their boats, and some into the water. The white sailors, carried away by the stampede, and separated from each other, were unable to act. The captain, drawing a brace of pistols from his belt, fired one shot, but before he could fire another Frank hurled the iron belaying pin at him. It struck him in the face, and he fell insensible. The Belgian sailors, seeing themselves altogether outnumbered, and without a leader, threw down their arms.

“Tie their hands and feet,” Frank ordered, “and bundle them into one of the native boats.”

Two of these had pushed off and lay fifty yards away, and the sea was dotted with the heads of swimmers making towards them. The Belgian sailors were placed in the other boat.

“Put their captain in, too,” Frank said. “He will come round presently.

“Now four of you jump into our boat and cast her off.

“Captain, will you look about for the oil, and pour it over all the beds, but don’t set them on fire until I give the order.

“Now, lads, two of you run below, and get the cushions off the starboard sofa.

“Purvis, get the skylight open on the port side, and wheel the two guns round, and point them down into the cabin. I will train them myself on the same spot just at the back of that seat. They might come off and extinguish the fire, though I don’t think they will; but we will make sure by blowing a hole through her side under the water line.”

Five minutes were sufficient to make the preparations, and the captain came up and reported that all was ready.

“I have heaped up all the bedding on the floor, sir, and poured plenty of oil over it,” he said.

“Very well, then, take two men aft, and begin there and work your way forward, and finish with the fo’c’sle hammocks. You can begin at once.”

In a minute there was a glare of light through the stern cabin skylight, while almost at the same moment a dense cloud of smoke poured up the companion. Then the light shone up through the bull’s-eyes on deck of the other staterooms. Then the captain and the two hands ran through the saloon forward. Frank went to the fo’castle hatch, and stooping down saw the captain apply the fire to a great heap of bedding.

“That will do, Hawkins,” he said. “Come up at once with the men, or you will be suffocated down there.”

They ran up on deck, and a minute later a volume of flame burst out through the hatch. Frank went to the guns, and lighting two matches gave one to Hawkins.

“Now,” he said, “both together.”

The two reports were blended in one, and as the smoke cleared away Frank could see, by the cabin lamp that was still burning, a spurt of water shooting up from a ragged hole at the back of the sofa. Fired at such a short distance, the bullets with which the guns were crammed had struck like solid shot.

“Into the boats, men!” Frank shouted.

“Shall we take these chaps off with us, sir?” the captain said. “They will be keepsakes.”

“All right, Hawkins, in with them.”

The tongue of fire leaping up from the forecastle, followed by the discharge of the guns, had been the first intimation to those on the Osprey of what had happened. Bertha and her maid ran up on deck at the sound of the cannon.

“What is that?” the former asked, in alarm.

“It is all right, Miss Greendale,” George Lechmere said, leaving the side and coming up to her. “The Major has captured the brigantine almost without fighting. There was only one pistol shot fired. I did not hear a single clash of a sword, and the blacks on board jumped straight into the water. I was just coming to call you as you came up. The brigantine is well on fire, you see.”

“But I thought I heard the cannon.”

“Yes, the Major has fired them down the skylight, so as to make sure of her. Do you see, miss, they are putting the guns in the boat now. They will be back here in a few minutes.”

By the time the boat came alongside, the flames from the after skylight had lit the mainsail and were running up the rigging. A minute later they burst out from the companion and the skylight.

“Thank God that is all over, Frank,” Bertha said, as they stood together watching the sight.

The inlet was now lit up from side to side. On shore a state of wild excitement prevailed. The boats had reached the shore, and the negroes there had rushed down to hear what had taken place, and to inquire after friends. Above the yells and shouts of the frenzied negroes sounded the deep roar of the horns, and the angry beating of the Obi drums. Numbers of torch bearers were among the crowd, and although nearly half a mile away, the scene could be perfectly made out from the yacht.

The boatmen had received their promised pay as soon as Frank had reached the yacht, and had taken their places in their boat, but Dominique told Frank that they would not go till the Osprey sailed, as they were afraid of being pursued and attacked by the villagers’ boats if they did so.

As Frank stood gazing at the scene, George Lechmere touched him. Frank, looking round, saw that he wished to speak to him privately.

“What is it, George?” he asked, when he had stepped a few paces from Bertha.

“Look there, Major,” George said, handing him a field glass. “I thought I had settled old scores with him, but the devil has looked after his own.”

“You don’t mean to say, George, that it is Carthew again.”

“It is he, sure enough, sir. I would have sworn that I had done for him. If I had thought there had been the slightest doubt about it, I would have put a pistol ball through his head.”

Frank raised the glass to his eyes. Just where the torches were thickest, he could make out a man’s figure raised above the heads of the rest. He was supported on a litter. His head was swathed with bandages. He had raised himself into a sitting position, supported by one arm, while he waved the other passionately. He was evidently haranguing the crowd.

As Frank looked, he saw the figure sink down. Then there was a deep roll of the drum, and a fantastic-looking figure, daubed as it seemed with paint and wearing a huge mask, appeared in his place. The drum and the horns were silent, and the shouting of the negroes was at once hushed. This man, too, harangued the crowd, and when he ceased there was a loud yell and a general movement among the throng. At that moment, Hawkins came up.

“The chain is up and down, sir. Shall I make sail? The wind is very light, but I think that it is enough to take her out.”

“Yes, make sail, Hawkins, as quickly as you can. I am afraid that those fellows are coming out to attack us, and I don’t want to kill any of the poor devils. There is a small boat coming out from the shore towards that craft. The white sailors are on board, and we shall have them on us, too.”

“Up with the anchor,” Hawkins shouted. “Make sail at once. Look sharp, my hearties, work with a will, or we shall have those niggers on us again.”

Never was sail made on the Osprey more quickly, and by the time that the anchor was apeak all the lower sails were set.

“Shall I tell the blacks to tow their boat behind us?” Hawkins asked Frank, as the yacht began to steal through the water.

“No; let them tow alongside, Hawkins. I don’t suppose the people ashore know that we have a native boat with us. If they did, they would be sure that it came from Nipes, and it might set up a feud and cost them their lives, especially as that Obi scoundrel is concerned in the affair.”

Then he moved away to George Lechmere.

“Don’t say a word about that fellow Carthew,” he said. “Miss Greendale thinks he is killed; and it is just as well that she should continue to think that she is safe from him in the future.”

“So far as she is concerned, I think that is true; but I would not answer for you, Major. You have ruined his plans, and burned his yacht, and as long as he lives he will never forgive you.”

“Well, it is of no use to worry about it now, George; but I expect that we shall hear more about him someday.”

“What are they doing, Frank?” Bertha asked, as he rejoined her. “I think that they are getting into the boats again.”

“Yes. I fancy they are going to try to take us, but they have no more chance of doing so than they have of flying. The Obi man has worked them up to a state of frenzy, but it will evaporate pretty quickly when they get within range of our muskets.”

“But we have got the cannon on board, have we not?”

“Yes; but we did not bring off any ammunition with us. It was the men’s idea to bring them as a trophy. However, I have plenty of powder and can load them with bullets; but I certainly won’t use them if it can be possibly avoided. I have no grudge against the poor fellows who have been told that we are desperate pirates, and who are only doing what they believe to be a meritorious action in trying to capture us.”

In a few minutes six boats put out from the shore. The Osprey was not going through the water more than two miles an hour, though she had every stitch of canvas spread. Frank had the guns taken aft and loaded. As the boats came within the circle of the light of the burning yacht, it could be seen that they were crowded with men, who encouraged themselves with defiant yells and shouts, which excited the derision of the Osprey’s crew. When they got within a quarter of a mile they opened a fusillade of musketry, but the balls dropped in the water some distance astern of the yacht. As the boats came nearer, however, they began to drop round her.

“Sit down behind the bulwarks,” Frank said. “They are not good shots, but a stray ball might come on board, and there is no use running risks.”

By this time he had persuaded Bertha to go below. The boats rowed on until some seventy or eighty yards off the Osprey. The shouting had gradually died away, for the silence on board the yacht oppressed them. There was something unnatural about it, and their superstitious fear of the Obi man disappeared before their dread of the unknown.

As if affected simultaneously by the disquietude of their companions, the rowers all stopped work at the same moment. Dominique had already received instructions, and at once hailed them in French.

“If you value your lives, turn back. We have the guns of the brigantine. They are crammed with bullets and are pointed at you. The owner has but to give the word, and you will all be blown to pieces. He is a good man, and wishes you no harm. We have come here not to quarrel with you poor ignorant black fellows, but to rescue two ladies the villain that ship belongs to had carried off. Therefore, go away back to your wives and families while you are able to, for if you come but one foot nearer not one of you will live to return.”

The news, that the Osprey had the cannon from the brigantine on board, came like a thunderbolt upon the negroes. The prospect of a fight with the men who had so easily captured the brigantine was unpleasant enough, but that they were also to encounter cannon was altogether too much for them, and a general shout of “Don’t fire; we go back!” rose from the boats.

For a minute or two they lay motionless, afraid even to dip an oar in the water lest it should bring down a storm upon them, but as the Osprey glided slowly away the rearmost boat began to turn round, the others followed her example, and they were soon rowing back even more rapidly than they had come.

“You can cast off that boat, Hawkins, as soon as we are out into the bay,” Frank said, and then went down below.

“Our troubles are all over at last, dear, and we can have a quiet talk,” he said. “As I expected, the negroes lost heart as soon as they came near, and the threat of a round of grape from the guns finally settled them. They are off for home, and we shall hear no more of them. Now you had best be off to bed at once. You have had a terrible day of it, and it is just two o’clock.

“Ah! that is right,” he broke off, as the steward entered carrying a tray with tea things. “I had forgotten all about that necessity. You had better call Anna in; she must want a cup too, poor girl.”

“Yes, I should like a cup of tea,” Bertha said, as she sat down to the tray, “but I really don’t feel so tired as you would think.”

“You will feel it all the more afterwards, I am afraid,” Frank replied. “The excitement has kept you up.”

“Yes, we felt dreadfully tired, didn’t we, Anna, before we gave up? But the two hours’ row in the boat, and all this excitement here, have made me almost forget it. It seems to me now quite impossible that it can be only about nine hours since you rushed out so suddenly with your men. It seems to me quite far off; further than many things do that happened a week ago. And please to remember that your advice to go to bed is quite as seasonable in your case as in mine.”

When he had seen them leave the saloon, Frank went on deck for a last look round.

“I don’t think that there is a chance of anything happening before morning, Hawkins, but you will, of course, keep a sharp lookout and let me know.”

“I will look out, sir. I have sent the four hands who were with you down to their berths, as soon as the niggers turned back. Lechmere has turned in, too.”

“Is the wind freshening at all?”

“Not yet, sir. I don’t suppose that we shall get more than we have now till day begins to break. Still, we are crawling on and shall be out in the bay in another quarter of an hour.”

When Frank got up at sunrise he found that the yacht was just rounding the point of the bay. He looked behind. No boat was in view.

“Nothing moving, I see,” he said as the first mate, who was in charge, came up.

“We have not seen a thing on the water, sir.”

“I hardly expected that there would be. It is probable that, as soon as the boats got back, Carthew sent his skipper or mate off with a couple of the men to Port au Prince, to lay a complaint for piracy against me. But, even if they got horses, it would take them a couple of days to get there; that is, if they are not much better riders than the majority of sailors are. Then it is likely that there would be some time lost in formalities, and even if there was a Government steamer lying in the port, it would take her a long time to get up steam. Moreover, I am by no means sure that even Carthew would venture on such an impudent thing as that. It is certain that we should get into a bad scrape for boarding and burning a vessel in Haytian waters, but that is all the harm he could do us. The British Consul would certainly be more likely to believe the story of the owner of a Royal Squadron yacht, backed by that of her captain, mates and crew, and by Miss Greendale and her maid; than the tale of the owner of a vessel that could give no satisfactory explanation for being here. Besides, he will know that before a steamer could start in chase we should be certainly two, or perhaps three, days away, and whether we should make for Jamaica or Bermuda, or round the northwestern point of the bay, and then for England, he could have no clue whatever.”

“How shall I lay her course, sir? The wind has freshened already, and we are slipping through the water at a good four knots now.”

“We will keep along this side, as far as the Point at any rate. If Carthew has sent for a steamer, he is likely to have ordered a man down to this headland to see which course we are taking. When we have got so far that we cannot be made out from there, we will sail north for Cape la Mole. I think it would be safe enough to lay our course at once, but I do not wish to run the slightest risk that can be avoided.”

The wind continued to freshen, and to Frank’s satisfaction they were, when Bertha came on deck at eight o’clock, running along the coast at seven knots an hour.

“Have you slept well?” he asked, as he took her hand.

“Yes. I thought when I lay down that it would be impossible for me to sleep at all—it had been such a wonderful day, it was all so strange, so sudden, and so happy—and just as I was thinking so, I suppose I dropped off and slept till Anna woke me three quarters of an hour ago, and told me what time it was.

“Frank, I did not say anything yesterday, not even a single word of thanks, for all that you have done for me; but you know very well that it was not because I did not feel it, but because if I had said anything at all I should have broken down, and that was the very thing that I knew I ought not to do. But you know, don’t you, that I shall have all my life to prove how thankful I am.”

“I know, dear, and between us surely nothing need be said. I am as thankful that I have been the means of saving you, as you can be that I was almost miraculously enabled to follow your track so successfully.”

“Breakfast is ready, sir,” the steward announced from the companion.

“Coming, steward.

“I have told them, Bertha, to lay for three. I thought that it would be pleasanter for you to have Anna with you at meals, as I suppose she has taken them with you since you were carried off.”

“Thank you,” she said, gratefully. “It won’t be quite so nice for you, I know, but perhaps it will be better.”

“Well, Anna, you are looking very well,” Frank said as he sat down.

“You must officiate with the coffee, Bertha. I will see after the eatables.”

“Yes, Anna does look well,” Bertha said. “She has borne up capitally, ever since the first two days. We have had all our meals together in our cabin.”

“Miss Greendale has been a great deal braver than I have, sir,” Anna said, quietly. “She has been wonderfully brave, and though she is very good to say that I have borne up well, I know very well that I have not been as brave as I ought; and I could not help breaking down and crying sometimes, for I did think that we should never get home again.”

“Except carrying you away, Carthew did not behave altogether so badly, Bertha?”

“No. The first day that we got on board he told me that I was to stay there until I consented to marry him. I told him that in that case I should become a permanent resident on board, but that sooner or later I should be rescued. He only said then, that he hoped that I should change my mind in time. He admitted that his conduct had been inexcusable, but that his love for me had driven him to it, and that he had only won me as many a knight had won a bride before now.

“At first I made sure that, when we put into a port, I should be able somehow to make my condition known; but I realised for the first time what it was going to be, when I saw us stand off the Lizard and lay her head for the south. Up to that time I had scarcely exchanged a word with him. I had said at once that unless I had my meals in my own cabin with Anna, I would eat nothing at all, and he said, quite courteously, I must confess, that I should in all respects do as I pleased, consistent with safety.

“From that time he said ‘Good morning,’ gravely when I came up on deck with Anna, and made a remark about the weather. I made no reply, and did not speak until he came to me in the morning, and said quietly, ‘That is the Lizard astern of us, Miss Greendale. We are bound for the West Indies, the finest cruising ground in the world, full of quiet little bays where we can anchor for weeks.’

“‘It is monstrous,’ I said desperately, for I own that for the first time I was really frightened. ‘Some day you will be punished for this.’

“‘I must risk that,’ he said, quietly. ‘Of course, at present you are angry. It is natural that you should be so, but in time you will forgive me, and will make allowance for the length to which my affection for you has driven me. It may be six months, it may be ten years, but however long it may be, I can promise you that, save for this initial offence, you will have no cause to complain of me. I am possessed of boundless patience, and can wait for an indefinite time. In the end I feel sure that your heart will soften towards me.’

“That was his tone all along. He was perfectly respectful, perfectly polite. Sometimes for days not a word would be exchanged between us; sometimes he would come up and talk, or rather, try to talk, for it was seldom that he got any answer from me. As a rule I sat in my deck chair with Anna beside me, and he sat on the other side of the deck, or walked up and down, smoking or talking with that man who was with him.

“So it went on till the afternoon when we saw you. As I told you, he made us go down at once. I could see that he was furiously angry and excited. The steward came to our cabin early in the morning, and said that Mr. Carthew requested that we would dress and come up at once. As I was anxious to know what was going on, I did so; and he said when we came on deck, ‘I am very sorry, Miss Greendale, but I have to ask you to go on shore with us at once.’

“I had no idea where we were, save that it was somewhere in the island of San Domingo; but I was ready enough to go ashore, thinking that I might see some white people that I could appeal to.

“I did speak to some negroes as we landed, but he said, ‘It is of no use your speaking to them, Miss Greendale, for none of them understands any language but his own.’

“I saw that they did not understand me, at any rate. I was frightened when I saw that four of the sailors were going with us, and that a dozen of the blacks, armed with muskets, also formed round us. I said that I would not go afoot, but Carthew answered:

“‘It would pain me greatly were I obliged to take such a step; but if you will not go, there is no course open to me but to have you carried. I am sorry that it should be so, but for various reasons it is imperative that you should take up your abode on shore for the present.’

“Seeing that it was useless to resist, I started with him. A short distance on, two blacks came up with the horses, which had evidently been sent for. We mounted, and were taken up among the hills to the place where you found us. Every mile that we went I grew more frightened, for it seemed to me that it was infinitely worse being in his power up in those hills, than on board his yacht, where something might happen by which I might be released from him. Those huts you saw had been built beforehand, so that he had evidently been preparing to take us there if there should be any reason for leaving the yacht. There was bedding and a couple of chairs and a table in ours.

“In the morning, while still speaking politely, he made it evident to me that he considered he could take a stronger tone than before.

“‘I assure you, Miss Greendale,’ he said, ‘that this poor hut is but a temporary affair. I will shortly have a more comfortable one erected for you. You see, your residence here is likely to be a long one, unless you change your mind. Pray do not nourish any idea that you can someday escape me. It is out of the question; and certainly no white man is ever likely to come to this valley, nor is any negro, except those who live in this village. Its head is an Obi man, whose will is law to the negroes. Their belief in his power is unlimited, and I believe that they imagine that he could slay them with the look of his eye, or turn them into frogs or toads by his magic power. I pray you to think the matter over seriously. Why should you waste your life here You did not always regard me as so hateful; and the love that I bear you is unchangeable. Even could you, months or years hence, make your escape, which I regard as impossible, what would your position be if you returned to England? What story would you have to tell? It might be a true one, but would it be believed?’

“‘I have my maid, sir,’ I said, passionately, ‘who would confirm my report of what I have suffered.’

“‘No doubt she would,’ he said quietly, ‘but a maid’s testimony as to her mistress’s doings does not go for very much. I endeavoured to make the voyage, which I foresaw might be a long one, pleasant to you by requesting you to bring her with you, and I believe that ladies who elope not unfrequently take their maids with them. But we need not discuss that. This valley will be your home, Miss Greendale, until you consent to leave it as my wife. I do not say that I shall always share your solitude here. I shall cruise about, and may even for a time return to England, but that will in no way alter your position. I have been in communication with the Obi gentleman since I first put into the bay, and he has arranged to take charge of your safety while I am away. He is not a pleasant man to look at, and I have no doubt that he is an unmitigated scoundrel—but his powers are unlimited. If he ordered his followers to offer you and your maid as sacrifices to his fetish, they would carry out his orders, not only willingly, but joyfully. He is a gentleman who, like his class, has a keen eye to the main chance, and will, I doubt not, take every precaution to prevent a source of considerable income from escaping him.’

“‘You understand,’ he went on, in a different manner, ‘I do not wish to threaten you—very far from it. I have endeavoured from the time that you set foot on board to make you as comfortable as possible, and to abstain from thrusting myself upon you in the slightest degree, and I shall always pursue the same course. But please understand that nothing will shake my resolution. It will pain me deeply to have to keep you in a place like this, but keep you I must until you consent to be mine. You must see yourself the hopelessness, as well as the folly, of holding out. On the one side is a life wasted here, on the other you will be the wife of a man who loves you above all things; who has risked everything by the step that he has taken, and who, when you consent, will devote his life to your happiness. You will be restored to your friends and to your position, and nought will be known, except that we made a runaway match, as many have done before us. Do not answer now. At any rate I will remain here for a couple of months, and by the end of that time you may see that the alternative is not so terrible a one.’

“Then, without another word, he turned and walked away; and nothing further passed between us until in the afternoon, when you so suddenly arrived.”

“Thank God, he behaved better than I should have given him credit for,” Frank said, when she had finished. “He must have felt absolutely certain that there was no chance whatever of your rescue, and that in time you would be forced to accept him, or he would hardly have refrained from pushing his suit more urgently. His calculations were well made, and if we had not noticed that brigantine at Cowes, and I had not had the luck to come upon some of his crew and pick up his track, he might have been successful.”

“You don’t think that I should ever have consented to marry him?” Bertha said, indignantly.

“I am sure that such a thought never entered your head, Bertha; but you cannot tell what the effect of a hopeless captivity would have had upon you. The fellow had judged you well, and he saw that the attitude of respect he adopted would afford him a far better chance of winning you, than roughness or threats would do. But he might have resorted to them afterwards, and you were so wholly and absolutely in his power, that you would almost have been driven to accept the alternative and become his wife.”

她坚决地摇了摇头。

“I would have killed him first,” she said. “I suppose some girls would say, ‘I would have killed myself;’ but I should not have thought of that—at any rate not until I had failed to kill him. Every woman has the same right to defend herself that a man has, and I should have no more felt that I was to blame, if I had killed him, than you would do when you killed a man who had done you no individual harm, in battle.”

“We only want mamma here,” she said a little later, as she took her seat in a deck chair, “to complete the illusion that we are sailing along somewhere on the Devonshire coast. The hills are higher and more wooded, but the general idea is the same. I suppose I ought to feel it very shocking, cruising about with you, without anyone but Anna with me; but somehow it does not feel so.”

“No wonder, dear. You see, we have been looking forward to doing exactly the same thing in the spring.”

“I think we had better not talk about that now,” she said, flushing. “I intend to make believe, till we get to England, that mamma is down below, and that I may be called at any moment. How long shall we be before we are there?”

“I cannot say, Bertha. I shall have a talk with Hawkins, presently, as to what course we had better take. It may be best to sail to Bermuda. If we find a mail steamer about to start from there, we might go home in it, and get there a fortnight earlier than we should do in the yacht, perhaps more. However, that we can talk over. I can see there may be difficulties, but undoubtedly the sooner you are home the better. You see, we are well in November now.

“What day is it?” he reflected.

“I have lost all count, Frank.”

He consulted a pocketbook.

“Today is the twenty-first of November. I should think that if we get favourable winds, we might make Bermuda in a week—ten days at the outside; and if we could catch a steamer a day or two after getting there, you might be able to spend your Christmas at Greendale.”

“That would be very nice. The difficulty would be, that I might afterwards meet some of the people who were with us on the steamer.”

“It would not be likely,” he said. “Still, we can talk it over. At any rate, from the Bermudas we can send a letter to your mother, and set her mind at rest.”

The captain and Purvis, consulting the book of sailing directions, came to the conclusion that the passage via the Bermudas would be distinctly the best and shortest. The wind was abeam and steady, and with all sail set the Osprey maintained a speed of nine knots an hour until Bermuda was in sight. They were still undecided as to whether they had better go home by the mail, but it was settled for them by their finding, on entering the port, that the steamer had touched there the day before and gone on the same evening, and that it was not probable that any other steamer would be sailing for England for another ten days.

They stopped only long enough to lay in a store of fresh provisions and water, of which the supply was now beginning to run very short. Indeed, had not the wind been so steady, all hands would have been placed on half rations of water.

Bertha did not land. She was nervously afraid of meeting anyone who might recognise her afterwards, and six hours after entering the port the Osprey was again under way. The wind, as is usual at Barbadoes, was blowing from the southwest; and it held with them the whole way home, so that after a remarkably quick run they dropped anchor off Southampton on the fifteenth of December. Frank had already made all arrangements with the captain to lay up the Osprey at once.

“I shall want her out again in the first week in April, so that she will not be long in winter quarters.”

On landing, Frank despatched a telegram to Lady Greendale:

“Returned all safe and well. Just starting for town. Shall be with you about six o’clock.”

The train was punctual, and five minutes before six Frank arrived with Bertha at Lady Greendale’s. He had already told Bertha that he should not come in.

“It is much better that you should be alone with her for a time. She will have innumerable questions to ask, and would, of course, prefer to have you to herself. I will come round tomorrow morning after breakfast.”

Anna had been instructed very carefully, by her mistress, not to say anything of what had happened, and in order that she might avoid questions, George Lechmere had seen her into a cab for Liverpool Street, as she wished to spend a week with some friends at Chelmsford. Then she was to join Bertha at Greendale.

Frank went to his chambers, where George Lechmere had driven with the luggage. The next morning he went early to Lady Greendale’s, so early that he found her and Bertha at breakfast.

“My dear Frank,” the former said, embracing him warmly, “how can I ever thank you for all that you have done for us! Bertha has been telling me all about how you rescued her. I hear that you were wounded, too.”

“The wound was of no great importance, and, as you see, I have thrown aside my sling this morning. Yes, we went through some exciting adventures, which will furnish us with a store of memories all our lives.

“How have you been, Lady Greendale? I am glad to see that, at any rate, you are looking well.”

“I have had a terribly anxious time of it, as you may suppose; but your letters were always so bright and hopeful that they helped me wonderfully. The first fortnight was the worst. Your letter from Gibraltar was a great relief, and of course the next, saying that you had heard that the yacht really did touch at Madeira, showed that you were on the right track. When you wrote from Madeira, I sent to Wild’s for the largest map of the West Indies that they had, and thus when I got your letters, I was able to follow your course and understand all about it. You are looking better than when I saw you last.”

“You should have seen him when I first met him, mamma. I hardly knew him, he looked so thin and worn; but during the last three weeks he has filled out again, and he seems to me to be looking quite himself.”

“And Bertha is looking well, too.”

“So I ought to do, mamma. I don’t think I ever looked very bad, in spite of my troubles, and the splendid voyage we have had would have set anyone up.”

“It has been a wonderful comfort to me,” Lady Greendale said, “that I have met hardly anyone that I know. The last three weeks or so I have met two or three people, but I only said that I was up in town for a short time. Of course, they asked after you, and I said that you were not with me, as you were spending a short time with some people whom you knew. We intend to go down home tomorrow.”

“The best thing that you can do, Lady Greendale. I shall be down for Christmas, and the first week in April, you know, I am to carry her off. So, you see, this excursion of ours has not altered any of our plans.”

Christmas passed off quietly. As soon as it was known that Lady Greendale had returned, the neighbours called, and for the next few months there was the usual round of dinner parties. To all remarks as to the length of time that she had been away, Lady Greendale merely replied that Bertha had been staying among friends, and that as she herself had not been in very good health, she had preferred staying in town, where she could always find a physician close at hand if she needed one.

It was not until they had been back for more than a month, that the engagement between Bertha and Major Mallett was announced by Lady Greendale to her friends, and it was generally supposed that it had but just taken place. The announcement gave great satisfaction, for the general opinion had been that Bertha would get engaged in London, and that Greendale would be virtually lost to the county.

The marriage was to take place in April.

“There is no reason for a long delay,” Lady Greendale explained. “They have known each other ever since Bertha was a child. They intend to spend their honeymoon on board Major Mallett’s yacht, the Osprey, and will go up the Mediterranean until the heat begins to get too oppressive, when they talk about sailing round the islands, or, at any rate, cruising for some time off the west of Scotland.”

About the same time, George Lechmere, in a rather mysterious manner, told Frank that he wished for a few minutes’ conversation with him.

“What is it, George? Anything wrong with the cellar?”

“No, sir, it is not that. The fact is that Anna Parsons, Miss Greendale’s maid, you know, and I, have settled to get married, too.”

“Capital, George, I am heartily glad of it,” Frank said, shaking him warmly by the hand.

“I never thought that I should get to care for anyone again, but you see we were thrown a good deal together on the voyage home, and I don’t know how it came about, but we had pretty well arranged it before we got back, and now we have settled it altogether.”

“I am not surprised to hear it, George. I rather fancied, from what I saw on board, that something was likely to come of it. It is the best thing by far for you.”

“Well, sir, as I said, I never thought that I should care for anyone else, but I am sure that I shall make a better husband, now, than I should have done had I married five years ago.”

“That I am sure you will. You have had a rough lesson, and it has made a great impression, and I doubt whether your marriage would have been a happy one had you married then, after what you told me of your jealous temper. Now I am sure that neither Anna, nor anyone else, could wish for a better husband than you will make. Well now, what are you thinking of doing, for I suppose you have thought it over well?”

“That is what we cannot quite settle, Major. I should like to stay with you all my life, just as I am.”

“I don’t see that you could do that—at least, not in your present condition. There is no farm vacant, and if there were one I must give the late tenant’s son the option of it. That has always been the rule on the estate. However, we need not settle on that at present. When are you going to get married? I should like it to be at the same time as we are. I am sure that Miss Greendale would be pleased. We both owe you a great deal, and, as you know, I regard you as my closest friend.”

“Thank you, Major, but I am sure that neither Anna nor I would care to be married before a church full of grand people, and we have agreed that we won’t do it until after you come back from your trip. Miss Bertha has promised Anna that she shall go with her as her maid, and of course, Major, I shall want to go with you.”

“Well, you might get married the week before, and still go with us.”

乔治摇了摇头。

“I think that it would be better the other way, Major. We will go with you as we are, and get married after you come back.”

The next day Frank had a long talk with Mr. Norton.

“Well, sir, your plan would suit me very well. Nothing could be better,” said the old steward. “In fact, I was going to tell you that I was beginning to find that the outdoor work was getting too much for me, and that though I should be very sorry to give it up altogether, I must either arrange with you to have help, or else find a successor. I am sure that the arrangement you propose would suit me exactly.

“George Lechmere would be just the man for the work. We used to think him the best judge of livestock in the county, and he is a good all-round farmer. If he were to take the work of the home farm off my hands, I could keep on very well with the rest of the estate for another two or three years, and as he would act as my assistant he would, by the end of that time, be quite capable of taking it over altogether. I should then move into Chippenham. We have two married daughters living, and now that we have no one at home, my wife has been saying for some time that she would rather settle there than go on living in the country, and there is really no more occasion for me to go on working. So, as soon as Lechmere has got the whole thing in hand, I shall be quite ready to hand it over to him.”

“Well, I am very glad that it is so, Norton. Of course, I should never have made any change until you yourself were perfectly willing to give it up, but as you are willing, I am certainly glad to be able to put him into it. As you know, he saved my life, and has done me many other great services, and I regard him as a friend and want to keep him near me. Of course, he will go into the farmhouse, and after you retire he can either move into yours, or remain there, as he likes. Naturally, as long as you live, Norton, I shall continue the rate of pay you have always had. You were over thirty years with my father, and I should certainly make no difference in that respect.”

“Well, George, I have arranged your business,” Frank said that evening. “Norton is getting on in life now, and he begins to find his work in winter a little too hard for him, so I have arranged that you are to take the management of the home farm altogether off his hands, and will, of course, establish yourself at the house. You will be a sort of assistant to him in other matters, and get up the work, and in the course of a couple of years, at the outside, he will retire altogether, and you will be steward. If you like you can work the home farm on your own account, but that will be for your consideration. How do you think that you will like that?”

“I should like it above everything, Major, and I am grateful to you, indeed.”

“Well, I am glad that you like the arrangement, George. I had it in my mind when I was talking to you two days ago, but until I saw Norton, and found that he was willing to retire, I did not propose it.”

Towards the end of February, Lady Greendale and Bertha went up to town for a fortnight, intimating to Frank that they would be so busy with important business that his presence there would not be desired. He, however, travelled with them to London, and then went round to Southampton, where he had a consultation with the firm in whose yard the yacht was laid up, and the head of the great upholstering firm there, and arranged for material alterations in the plans of the cabins, and their redecoration. Everything was to be completed by the beginning of April. He had written to Hawkins to meet him on board.

“You must have everything ready by the fifth,” he said. “We shall arrive late in the afternoon, or perhaps in the evening of the fifth, and shall get under way next morning. I hope that you have been able to get the same crew.”

“There is no fear of their not all coming, sir, except Purvis. He has been bad all the winter, and I doubt whether he will be able to go with us.”

“I am sorry to hear that. Tell him that I shall make him an allowance of a pound a week for the season, and that I shall give him a little pension, of ten shillings a week, as long as he lives. I shall consider that all who went with me on that cruise to the West Indies have a claim upon me.”

The time for the wedding approached. There was some consultation, between Frank and Lady Greendale, as to whether the dinner to the tenants should be given on that occasion, or on their return; and it was settled that it would be more convenient to postpone it.

“I am sure they would rather have you and Bertha here, and it would be much more convenient in every way. We have so much to think about now, and there will be so many arrangements to be made.”

“I quite agree with you. I will put it all in the hands of Rafters, of Chippenham. I think that it is only right to give it to local people. We shall want two big marquees, one for your tenants and mine and their wives and families, and the other for all the labourers and farm servants.”

“And there must be another for all the children,” Bertha put in.

“Very well, Bertha.

“Then, of course, we must have a military band and fireworks, and we had better have a big platform put down for those who like to dance, and a lot of shows and things for the elders and children, and a conjurer with a big lucky basket, and things of that sort. Of course, at present one cannot give even an approximate date, but I will tell them that they shall have a fortnight’s notice.”

“I wonder what has become of Carthew, Major?” George Lechmere said, as he was having a last talk with Frank on the eve of the wedding. “He will gnash his teeth when he sees it in the papers.”

“I have thought of him a good many times, George. He is an evil scoundrel, and nothing would please me more than to hear that he was dead. When I remember how many years he kept up his malice against me, for having beaten him in a fight; I know how intense must be his hatred of me, now that I have thwarted all his plans and burned his yacht. It is not that I am afraid of him personally, but there is no saying what form his vengeance will take, for that he will sooner or later try to be revenged I feel absolutely certain.”

“I have often thought of it myself, sir. Perhaps he is out in Hayti still.”

“No chance of that, George. Miss Greendale said that he told her that he had money sufficient to pay for a ten years’ cruise. That may have been a lie, but he must have had money sufficient to last him for some time, anyhow, and you may be sure that he took it on shore with him. He may have died from the effects of that wound you gave him, but if he is alive I have no doubt that he is in England somewhere. Of course, he would not show himself where he was known, having been a heavy defaulter last year; but he may have let his beard grow, and so disguised himself that he would not be easily recognised. As to what he is doing, of course I have not the slightest idea; but we may be quite sure that he is not up to any good.

“Well, George, then it is quite settled that you and Anna are to go off with the luggage directly the wedding is over. You will come ashore with the gig and meet us at eight o’clock at the station, with a carriage to take us down to the boat.”

“I will be there, Major, and see that everything is ready for you on board.”

When packing up his things in the morning, George Lechmere put aside a pistol and a dagger that he had taken from the sash of a mutineer, whom he had killed in India.

“They are not the sort of things a man generally carries at a wedding,” he said, grimly, “but until I know something of what that villain is doing, I mean to keep them handy for use. There is never any saying what he may be up to, and I know well enough that the Major, whatever he says, will never give the matter a thought.”

He loaded the pistol and dropped it into his coat pocket. Then he opened his waistcoat, cut a slit in the lining under his left arm, and pushed the dagger down it until it was stopped by the slender steel crosspiece at the handle.

“I will make a neater job of it afterwards,” he said to himself. “That will do for the present, and I can get at it in a moment.”

The wedding went off as such things generally do. The church was crowded, the girls of the village school lined the path from the gate to the church door, and strewed flowers as the bridal party arrived; and as they drove off to Greendale tenants of both estates, collected in the churchyard, cheered them heartily. There was a large gathering at breakfast, but at last the toasts were all drunk, and the awkward time of waiting over, and at three o’clock Major Mallett and his wife drove off amidst the cheers of the crowd assembled to see them start.

“Thank God that is all over,” Frank said heartily as they passed out through the lodge gates.

At half-past eight Captain Hawkins was standing at the landing stage in a furious passion.

“Where can that fellow Jackson have got to?” he said, stamping his foot. “I said that you were all to be back in a quarter of an hour when we landed, and it is three quarters of an hour now. I never knew him to do such a thing before, and I would not have had such a thing happen this evening for any money. What will the Major think when he finds only five men instead of six in the gig, on such an occasion as this? We shall be having them down in a minute or two. Jackson had better not show his face on board after this. It is the most provoking thing I ever knew.”

“It ain’t his way, captain,” one of the men said. “Jackson can go on the spree like the rest of us, but I never knew him to do such a thing all the years I have known him, when there was work to be done; and I am sure he would not do so this evening. He may have got knocked down or run over or something.”

“I will take an oar if you like, captain,” said a man in a yachtsman’s suit, who was loitering near. “I have nothing to do, and may as well row off as do anything else. You can put me on shore in the dinghy afterwards.”

“All right, my lad, take number two athwart. It is too dark to see faces, and the owner is not likely to notice that there is a strange hand on board. I will give you half a crown gladly for the job.”

The man got into the boat and took his seat.

“Here they come,” the captain went on. “We are only just in time. Up-end your oars, lads. We ain’t strong enough to cheer, but we will give them a hearty ‘God bless you!’ as they come down.”

George Lechmere came on first, and handed in a bundle of wraps, parasols, and umbrellas. The captain stood at the top of the steps, and as Frank and Bertha came up took off his hat.

“God bless you and your wife, sir,” he said, and the men re-echoed the words in a deep chorus.

“Thank you, captain.

“Thank you all, lads, for my wife and myself,” Frank said, heartily, and a minute later the boat pushed off.

The tide was running out strong, and they were halfway across it towards the dark mass of yachts, when there was a sudden crash forward.

“What is it?” Frank exclaimed.

“This fellow has stove in the boat, sir,” the bow oar exclaimed, and then came a series of hurried exclamations.

Frank had not caught the words, but the rush of water aft told him that something serious had happened.

“Row, men, row!” he shouted.

“Steer to the nearest yacht, Hawkins.”

“We shall never get there, sir. She will be full in half a minute.”

“Let each man stick to his oar,” Frank said, standing up. “We aft will hold on to the boat.”

Then he raised his voice in a shout:

“Yachts, ahoy! Send boats; we are sinking!

“Don’t be frightened, darling,” he said to Bertha. “Keep hold of the gunwale. I can keep you up easily enough until help comes, but it is better to stick to the boat. We must have run against something that has stove her in.”

A moment later the water was up to the thwarts, the boat gave a lurch, and then rolled over. Frank threw his arm round Bertha, and as the boat capsized clung to it with his disengaged hand.

“Don’t try to get hold of the keel,” he said. “It would turn her over again. Just let your hands rest on her, and take hold of the edge of one of the planks.

“That is it, Hawkins. Do you get the other side and just keep her floating as she is. We shall have help in a minute or two.

“Are you all right, George?”

“Yes, I am at her stern. Do you want assistance, sir?”

“No, we are all right, George.”

A moment later a man came up beside the Major, and put his hand heavily on his shoulder.

“You won last time, Mallett,” he hissed in his ear. “It is my turn now.”

The man’s weight was pressing him under water, and the boat gave a lurch.

Frank loosed his hold of Bertha with the words, “Hold on, dear, for a minute,” and, turning, grappled with his enemy, at the same moment grasping his right wrist as the arm was raised to strike him with a knife.

In a moment both went below the water. They came up beyond the stern, and Frank said:

“Take care of Bertha, George—Carthew—” and then went down again.

Furiously they struggled. They were well matched in strength, but Frank felt that his antagonist was careless of his own life, for he had wound his legs round him, and, unable to wrench his arm from his grasp, was doing his utmost to prevent their coming to the surface.

Suddenly, when he felt that he could no longer retain his breath, he felt arms thrown round them both, and a moment later came to the surface. Then he heard an exclamation of “Thank God!” An arm was raised, and two blows struck rapidly.

Carthew’s grasp relaxed, the knife dropped from his hand, and, as Frank shook himself free, he sank under the water.

“Are you all right, Major?” his rescuer said.

“Yes,” he gasped.

“Put your hand on my shoulder. The boat is not a length away.”

A minute later Frank was beside Bertha again.

“Where have you been, Frank? I was frightened.”

“One of the men grasped me,” he said, “and I should have turned the boat over if I had not let go. However, thanks to George Lechmere, who came to my rescue, I have shaken him off.

“Ah! here is help.”

Three or four boats from the yachts were indeed rowing up. The four clinging to the gig were taken on board by one of them, while the others picked up the men who were floating supported by their oars.

“Don’t say a word about it, George,” Frank whispered.

The Osprey was lying but two or three hundred yards away, and they were soon alongside.

“This is not the sort of welcome I thought to give you on board, dear,” he said, as he helped Bertha on deck, and went down the companion with her.

Anna burst into exclamations of dismay at seeing the dripping figures.

“We have had an accident, Anna,” Frank said, cheerfully, “but I don’t think that we are any the worse for it. Please take your mistress aft and get her into dry things at once.

“Steward, open one of those bottles of champagne, and give me half a tumbler full.”

He hurried after the others with it.

“Please drink this at once, Bertha,” he said. “Yes, you shall have some tea directly, but start with this. It will soon put you in a glow. Oh! yes, I am going to have one, too; but a ducking is no odds to me.”

Then he ran up on deck.

“You have saved my life again, George, for that scoundrel would have drowned us both.”

“I saw the knife in his hand as you went down, and knew that you wanted me more than Miss—I mean Mrs. Mallett did.”

“How did you make him let go so quickly?”

“I had a sort of fear that, sooner or later, that villain would be up to something; and had made up my mind that I would always have a weapon handy. This morning I stuck that dagger of mine inside the lining of my waistcoat, so that it might be handy. And it was handy. You were not five yards from me when you went down, and I dived for you, but could not find you at first, and had to come up once for air. Of course, I could not use the dagger until I found which was which, and then I put an end to it.”

“Then you killed him, George?”

“I don’t think that he will trouble you any more, sir; and if ever a chap deserved his fate that villain did. Why, sir, do you know how it all happened?”

“No, I did not catch what the man at the bow said. There was such a confusion forward.”

“He said that he had staved the boat in somehow. He must have taken the place of one of the men on purpose to do it.”

“Well, George, I can’t say that I’m sorry.”

“I am heartily glad, sir. I am no more sorry for killing him than for shooting one of those murderous niggers. Less sorry, a great deal. The man deserved hanging. He was intending to murder you, and perhaps Mrs. Mallett, and I killed him as I should have killed a mad dog that was attacking you.”

“Well, say nothing about it at present, George. It would be a great shock to my wife if she were to know it. Now you had better go and change your things at once, as I am going to do. Are all the men rescued?”

“Yes, sir, they are all five on board.”

“Hawkins,” Frank said, putting his hand in his pocket, “give the men who came to help us a couple of sovereigns each, and tell our men that I don’t want them to talk about the affair. I will see you about it again.”

Frank was not long in getting into dry clothes, and a few minutes later Bertha came in.

“Are you none the worse for it, dear?”

“Not a bit, Frank. That champagne has thoroughly warmed me. What a sudden affair it all was. Is everyone safe?”

“Yes, they stuck to the oars, and all our crew were picked up. It was a bad start, was it not? But it has never happened to me before, and I hope that it will never happen to me again.”

“Some people would be inclined to think this an unlucky beginning,” said Bertha, with a slight tone of interrogation.

“I am certainly not one of them,” he laughed. “I had only one superstition, and that is at an end. You know what it was, dear, but the spell is broken. He had a long run of minor successes, but I have won the only prize worth having, for which we have been rivals.”

Some days later the body of a sailor was washed ashore near Selsey Bill. An inquest was held, and a verdict returned that the man had been murdered by some person or persons unknown; but although the police of Portsmouth, Southampton, Cowes, and Ryde made vigilant inquiries, they were unable to ascertain that any yacht sailor hailing from those ports had suddenly disappeared.

There was much discussion, in the forecastle of the Osprey, as to the identity and motives of the man who had first got into conversation with Jackson, and then asked him to take a drink, which must have been hocussed, for Jackson remembered nothing afterwards. It was evident that the fellow had done it in order to take his place. He had staved in the boat, and, as they supposed, afterwards swam to shore; but the crime seemed so singularly motiveless that they finally put it down as the work of a madman.

It was not until the day before the Osprey anchored again in Cowes, three months later, that Bertha, on expressing some apprehension of further trouble from Carthew, if he had survived the wound George Lechmere gave him, learned the true account of the sinking of the gig, as she went on board at Southampton on her wedding day.