ed Veath. "Possibly we're out of the course. That
happens in every storm that comes up at sea."

"But there are hundreds of reefs here that are not even on the chart,"
cried Gregory.

"Well, there have been thousands of ships to escape them all, I fancy,"
said Ridgeway boldly. The two women were speechless.

"And there have been thousands of storms, too," added Veath, a sort of
wild exultation ringing in his voice, plain to Grace if not to
the others.

"Do not try to deceive us, gentlemen," wavered Lady Tennys. "We can be a
great deal braver if we know the real situation. I know you are making
light of this dreadful storm out of consideration for Miss Ridge and
myself, but don't you think it would be better if we were told the
worst? Women are not always the greater cowards."

"Yes, Hugh, we should know the worst," said Grace firmly. "The ship is
rolling frightfully, and Lieutenant Hamilton has said enough to assure
us that Captain Shadburn is alarmed, even apprehensive."

"Perhaps I am too much of an optimist, but I stick to my statement that
while we are in some danger--any fool can see that--we are by no means
lost," said Hugh, looking at Gregory when he used the word fool.

"As long as the engine and steering apparatus hold together the crew of
the ship can pull her through," said Veath. "I have the utmost
confidence in the boat and the men."

"But all the men on the ocean cannot keep her from striking an unseen
rock, nor could any ship withstand such a shock," argued the young
Englishwoman bravely.

"That's right, Lady Tennys," quickly cried Hamilton. "I don't say the
ship will get the worst of a straight fight against the sea, but we
won't stand the ghost of a chance if we strike a reef."

"The best thing we all can do is to find some place where there is not
quite so much danger of having our brains dashed out against these
walls. It's getting so that I can't keep my feet much longer. This is no
time to be taking chances of a broken leg, or an arm or a neck, perhaps.
We'll need them all if we have to swim to Hong Kong."

Despite his attempted jocularity, Ridgeway was sorely troubled. Common
sense told him that they were now in a most perilous position. The dead
reckoning of the captain and his chartmaster, while able to determine
with a certain degree of accuracy the locality in which the ship was
beating, could not possibly account for the exact position of those
little islands. He began to think of