t's coming up
hand over fist."

"What?" shouted Winter. "What?"

He clearly did not appreciate the idea of being overtaken by any one,
for he whipped on his highest speed and jammed down the accelerator. The
change was enormous. Our powerful car, relieved from all restraint,
simply leaped through the air. Winter gave a pleased laugh as he
steadied her with the wheel.

"If the stranger can catch us now I shall believe it's the Motor Pirate
himself," he remarked in a pleased tone, that showed how proud he was of
his own car.

Our progress was so exhilarating that I wanted to shout defiance to the
stranger; yet I was so fascinated with the pace we were travelling, that
I could not take my eyes from the road which uncoiled before us.

Suddenly a humming sound forced itself upon my ear. For a moment I
thought it was due to the whirr of our own wheels. Then it struck me
that the note was a higher one. I half turned. The other car was within
a yard or two of us. In another second it was level and, running without
any visible vibration, indeed, without any noise save the snore of the
wheels as they raced round, the stranger slackened speed and ran by our
side.

Winter cast a hasty glance at the strange car, and I saw him bite his
lip with annoyance at finding his Daimler so outpaced.

One glance at the stranger was enough to tell me with whom we had to
deal. In the brilliant moonlight, the boat-shaped car with its sharp
prow, the almost invisible wheels, the masked occupant, assured me that
the evening papers had not been the victims of a hoax.

"It's the Motor Pirate himself," I said to Winter, and my voice was
hoarse with excitement.

"Motor Pirate be d----d!" replied Winter. What more he would have said I
do not know, for at this moment the stranger turning his mask towards us
called out in the most urbane manner--

"I must trouble you gentlemen to stop that car."

Winter at the best of times is of rather a peppery disposition, and
whenever any one requires him to pull up, his temper invariably gets the
better of his manners. His reply was an unnecessarily verbose, and
needlessly forcible negative.

I heard the stranger chuckle. "I really must trouble you to obey my
wishes," he replied, with ironic courtesy. "Otherwise I shall be
compelled to do some damage to that car of yours, a proceeding I always
try to avoid if possible."

"Do what you please," was in effect Winter's luridly adjectived answer.

"If yo