d another in Norwegian that they were the
crew of the bark, with a message from me.

My crew, of course, said: "Come aboard." But no sooner aboard than the
strangers out with revolvers, back my men into the fo'c's'le, and lock
them in. That was all they knew about that, except they heard the noise
of the hurrying of our cargo out of the hold, and then the sound of a
steamer making fast alongside and of shifting our cargo to her deck and
of her moving away. And then all quiet till we came back.

Well, whoever did it must have had us timed pretty well. They must have
had a gang hid in the lumber bark and a steamer hid somewhere in the
straits near by waiting for us. It looked as if there was nothing for us
to do but take our loss and keep on for Punta 'renas, but first I went
to the masthead and had a look out.

Opposite Pouvenir Bay the Straits of Magellan are at their widest. From
the crow's-nest there was a good stretch of sea to look at. To the
west'ard was a touch of smoke, which might be the steamer which looted
us; surely she didn't go to the east'ard, for there it was open water
with nothing in sight. To the northward, toward Patagonia, of course,
she would not go, because Punta 'renas was there. But I had a look that
way, and as I looked I could see what looked like an open boat heading
our way; and I wondered who she would be and what she would be after in
a place like Terra del Fuego.

They came skipping on at a great clip for an open boat. They were
running her to a long main-sheet, but keeping a tight hand on the
sheet.

[Illustration: The strangers out with revolvers, back my men into the
fo'c's'le, and lock them in.]

As they drew nearer I see she was white-painted, and pretty soon I see
she was too big to be anything but a navy sailing cutter, and soon again
I made out that they were a crew of American naval officers and
bluejackets.

They went out of their way some to sweep under the stern of the bark,
and I noticed they all took a look up at her and back at her, wondering,
as I thought, how she came to go ashore. They held on for the inside of
the bay and ran straight up onto a little reach of pebbly beach; and no
sooner grounded than most of them went tearing across the spit with
rifles and shotguns. I see what they were now--it was a hunting party.

Without wasting a second they began to blaze away at the wild ducks as
they came swooping down from the west. In that country the wild game
don't