t met Browne's gaze, when he entered the snug
little cabin, in which he and his friends had spent so many happy hours
together. The skipper was standing near the door, M'Cartney was next
to him, the second engineer in the corner opposite, and half-seated,
half-forced down on the cushioned locker under the starboard port-hole
was Maas, with MacAndrew, revolver in hand, leaning over him. Browne
glanced from one to another of the group, but failed to take in the
situation.

"What does this mean?" he cried, and, as he did so, he looked at Jimmy
Foote, as if for explanation.

"It's a bad business, Browne, old chap," Jimmy replied; "a very bad
business. I wish to goodness I had not to say anything to you about
it. But it must be done, and there is very little time in which to do
it. While you were away on shore a small incident occurred which
aroused my suspicions. I determined to watch, and did so, with the
result that they were confirmed. I saw that our friend Maas was a good
deal more familiar with your officers and crew than I thought was good,
either for them or for himself. I did not know he was the traitorous
cur he is."

By this time Maas's usual sallow face was ashen pale. His lips seemed
to be framing words which were never spoken.

"For heaven's sake, Foote," cried Browne, in an agony of impatience,
"get on with what you have to say! What have you discovered?"

Jimmy turned to the second engineer, who was almost as pale as Maas.
"Tell him everything," he said; "and see that you speak the truth."

"I scarcely know how to tell you, sir," the young fellow answered. "I
only wish I'd never lived to see this day. What made me do it I don't
know; but he, Mr. Maas there, got round me, sir, and--well, the long
and short of it is, I gave in to him, and did what you know."

"You mean, I suppose, that you and he between you are responsible for
this break-down in the engine-room this morning? Is this so?"

"Yes, sir," the man admitted.

"And, pray, what reason did Mr. Maas give you for desiring you to do
this?"

"He told me, sir," the young man continued, "that he had your interests
at heart. He said he happened to know that, if you had started for
Japan at once, as you proposed, you would be running the yacht into a
certain trap. He said that, though he had pleaded and argued with you
in vain, you would not listen to him. You were bent on going on. The
only way, he said, that he could stop you, was