usiness with him."

"Tell him," returned von Schalckenberg, "that we have on board a
prisoner to be exchanged for Colonel Sziszkinski, who has been unjustly
condemned."

The Russian soldier and sailor conferred together for a moment, and then
the latter hailed--

"You have, of course, a proper warrant for this exchange?"

"No," answered the professor; "we have no warrant beyond our power to
enforce our demands. Yet I think this should be sufficient, since we
can sink you in an instant if you are foolish enough to prove
contumacious. Be good enough, therefore, to bring Colonel Sziszkinski
on deck at once, and send him, unhurt, aboard us. In exchange for him
we will hand you over a man who calls himself Count Vasilovich."

The two Russian officers again conferred together for several minutes,
frequently directing their glances at the _Flying Fish_, as though
searching her for confirmatory evidence of her power to enforce her
crew's demands; and at length the Russian skipper, facing about, waved
his hand and shouted--

"All right; we are willing to make the exchange. One prisoner is as
good as another to us, so long as we can show the number contained on
our list. We will send the colonel to you forthwith."

And thereupon he faced about and gave certain orders to his subordinate
officer, who in his turn bawled an order to the boatswain to pipe away
one of the quarter boats. The soldier, meanwhile, descended from the
bridge and went below, doubtless to issue his own orders for the release
of the prisoner. A minute later some Russian sailors were seen to go
shambling aft aboard the convict-ship and busy themselves upon the task
of lowering a boat, which they presently got afloat and took to the
_Ludwig Gadd's_ gangway. And at this point in the proceedings Mildmay
shouted through the speaking-tube to Lethbridge that no torpedo-shells
would be required; and would he be good enough to bring Vasilovich up on
deck, in readiness to hand the fellow over in exchange for the colonel.

Lethbridge proved much more prompt in action than the people on board
the convict-ship, and within three minutes of the receipt by him of
Mildmay's communication he stood upon the deck of the _Flying Fish_, in
the company of von Schalckenberg and Vasilovich, awaiting the arrival of
the boat by means of which the exchange of prisoners was to be effected.

The amazement of Vasilovich was profound at finding himself afloat in
the open sea