go below and put one in at
once."

"Better let me do it," interposed the professor. "I know more about the
working of them than you do; and, moreover, I am not so profoundly
interested in this affair as you all seem to be. Besides, I shall not
be gone longer than five minutes at the utmost."

And, Sir Reginald offering no objection, the worthy man turned away and
vanished through the pilot-house door.

The leading ship was by this time within about five miles of the _Flying
Fish_, and steering a course that would take her square across the bows
of the latter; the two--or, indeed, the three--ships were therefore
nearing each other fast, and the men fell to debating the question
whether or not the _Flying Fish_ had yet been seen by either of the
strangers. The craft was in her usual surface-running trim; that is to
say, considerably more than half of her polished hull was submerged,
leaving little to be seen except her small superstructure and her
pilot-house, both of which were painted a delicate blue-grey colour that
would be scarcely visible against the horizon astern. The chances,
therefore, were strongly in favour of her invisibility. On the other
hand, there was just a possibility that some keen eye aboard the liner,
anxiously scanning the horizon in quest of help, might have sighted her;
in which case a glimpse of the white ensign might be comforting.
Mildmay therefore went to the flag-locker and drew forth the white
ensign which, in virtue of his being a member of the Royal Yacht
Squadron, Sir Reginald was entitled to fly, and ran it up to the truck
of the ensign staff.

Whether it had been seen or not was difficult to say, for nothing in
particular followed upon its exhibition, unless the discharge of another
gun from the pursuing ship might be taken as a reply. And this time the
shot went home to its mark; for as the observers turned their glasses
upon the chase, her mainmast was seen to totter and fall by the board,
cut short off by the deck. Luckily the spar did not go over the side,
but lay, fore-and-aft, inboard; otherwise the rigging might have fouled
the propeller and brought the ship to a standstill. As it was, she
continued her flight as though nothing had happened.

"This matter has gone quite far enough," exclaimed Mildmay, sharply, as
he saw the liner's mast fall. "Come inside, all of you, if you please.
We may be under fire in another minute or two. Perhaps the ladies had
better go be