s to prove him guilty. I mean to
reserve my opinion until you make your charges good."

"Very well," said Don Sebastian. "We'll be guided by what happens when we
see him."

They let the matter drop, and half an hour later a white light and a
green light crept out of the dark to seawards, and a faint throbbing grew
into the measured beat of a steamer's screw. Then a low, shadowy hull,
outlined by a glimmer of phosphorescence, came on towards the harbor
mouth, and a rocket swept up in a fiery curve and burst, dropping colored
lights. A harsh rattle of running chain broke out, the screw splashed
noisily for a few moments and stopped, and a launch came swiftly down the
harbor.

"The port doctor!" said Dick. "There's some cargo ready, and she won't
sail for three or four hours. We had better wait until near the last
moment before we go on board. If our man saw us, he'd take alarm and
land."

Don Sebastian agreed, and they went back to the hotel, and stayed there
until word was sent that the last boat was ready to leave the mole. They
took their places with one or two more passengers, and as they drew near
the steamer Dick looked carefully about. Several shore boats were hanging
on to the warp alongside and a cargo barge lay beside her quarter. It was
obvious that she would not sail immediately, and if Kenwardine saw them
come on board, he would have no trouble in leaving the vessel. If he
landed, he would be in neutral territory, and their hold on him would be
gone. To make things worse, a big electric lamp had been hung over the
gangway so as to light the ladder.

Dick could not see Kenwardine among the passengers on deck, and getting
on board as quietly as possible, they went down the nearest companion
stairs and along an alleyway to the purser's office. A number of rooms
opened on to the passage, and Dick had an uncomfortable feeling that
chance might bring him face to face with Kenwardine. Nobody met them,
however, and they found the purser disengaged.

"If you have a passenger list handy, you might let me see it," Dick said
as he took the tickets.

The purser gave him a list, and he noted Kenwardine's name near the
bottom.

"We may as well be comfortable, although we're not going far," he
resumed. "What berths have you left?"

"You can pick your place," said the purser. "We haven't many passengers
this trip, and there's nobody on the starboard alleyway. However, if you
want a hot bath in the morning, you had