!"

"Well," I said, "you must not blame him in this case, for the fault--if
fault there has been--was mine. I observed the alteration in the ship's
course as soon as I stepped out on deck this morning, and remarked upon
it, and it was merely in reply to my remark that Mr Carter explained
your intentions."

"Well," he answered, "it is a rather fortunate thing for you that I
happen to have such intentions, for it affords you a chance to get
transhipped into one of your own craft, instead of having to go on with
us to Capetown, as you would almost certainly have been obliged to do if
I had followed the usual plan and stretched away over toward the South
American coast."

"Quite so," I agreed; "it certainly has that advantage, as occurred to
me the moment that Mr Carter explained your theory. And it has the
further advantage that, should you find you do not make quite such good
progress as you hope, you will be well to windward when you eventually
decide to stretch offshore into the trade wind."

"Then you think my idea has something in it?" he demanded.

"Something--yes," I agreed; "but I doubt very much whether, taking
everything into consideration, you will find that the advantages are
worth consideration."

The skipper did not agree with me, and forthwith plunged into a fiery
defence of his theory which lasted until some time after we had all
risen from the table and adjourned to the poop. In fact, he so
completely monopolised my attention up to tiffin time that I was
scarcely able to find time to go forward and enquire into the condition
of the wounded, and had no opportunity at all to improve my acquaintance
with the passengers.

After tiffin, however, the captain retired to his cabin, instead of
going on deck again, and as I stepped out of the saloon on to the
quarter-deck I felt a hand slide into my arm, and, turning round, found
the general alongside me.

"Am I right," said he, as he linked his arm in mine, "in the impression
that you do not think very highly of Captain Williams's rather peculiar
theory concerning the advantage of `keeping the coast aboard'--as I
believe you sailors term it--rather than following the usual rule of
making the most of the south-east trade wind? You are pretty well
acquainted with this coast, I suppose, and your ideas on the subject
should be of value."

"Well," said I, "the fact is, Sir Thomas, that I do not think very
highly of the captain's theory. In theory, no do