she has
sailed, we shall simply go in pursuit of her."

CHAPTER FIVE.

THE BEGINNING OF A STRANGE VOYAGE.

"Just so," remarked Sir Reginald. "And here," he continued, "it seems
to me that we reach the most important point in the whole adventure.
This convict-ship will, of course, carry a small detachment of troops as
a guard over the convicts; do you think that we four are sufficient to
capture a ship carrying a crew of, say, thirty or forty men, with
probably, a like number of soldiers?"

The professor seemed to be rather taken aback at this question.

"It has not occurred to me that there will be any difficulty in the
matter," he answered. "What do our military friends say?"

"Well," responded the colonel, "the task you propose to set us seems to
be, at first sight, rather a tall order. Remember, we have thus far had
no experience of the capabilities of the _Flying Fish_ as a fighting
ship; and, to tell you the truth, I have almost forgotten the details of
her armament, and how it is worked."

"I have not," answered Mildmay. "She is fitted with a torpedo port
for'ard, for firing what the professor called `torpedo-shells'; two
10-inch breech-loading rifled guns, fired through ports in the
dining-saloon, and six Maxim guns, fired from the upper deck, to say
nothing of small-arms. Such an armament is ample for every occasion
which is at all likely to arise; and if the professor will only furnish
me with the particulars of which he has spoken, as to the sailing and so
on of the ship, I will undertake to find and capture her. But I presume
you are all fully aware that such capture will be an act of piracy?"

"Y-e-es," replied Sir Reginald, hesitatingly; "but thus far I have been
influenced by the conviction that the end justifies the means. Still,
if you, Mildmay, or you, Lethbridge, have any qualms of conscience--"

"`Nary a qualm,' as our cousins, the Yankees, would say," answered
Mildmay, cheerfully; "only, remember this, we must take the whole onus
and responsibility of the act upon our own shoulders; we must show no
colours--unless you feel disposed to sport a `Jolly Roger' for this
occasion only. What I particularly mean is, that we must take care not
to betray our nationality, and so involve Great Britain in a difficulty
with Russia. So long as that contingency is avoided, I shall be ready
to become a pirate of as deep a dye as you please."

"We will take whatever precautions you may deem ne