Monsieur
vigorously nodded his head. "They must even have violet spectacles for
looking into search-lights, else that fellow's eyes could not have stood
the glare."

Again the _Orchid_ was invisible. For a moment I thought that out of the
dark sky my gods were derisively mocking me; but it was a human sound, a
long, triumphant laugh, doubtless from the coarse-throated creature who
had made the lucky shot.

Gates, fearing we might answer it in kind, came forward to counsel
silence, at the same time sending a sailor for the megaphone and
ordering another to extinguish our own lights. With his knife he then
hastily cut the megaphone in half, keeping the large end whose openings
now tapered from about eight inch to eighteen inch diameters. As we
stood, not understanding what he meant to do, I heard across the water a
rattling of blocks and knew the _Orchid_, free of pursuit, was changing
her course. Gates cocked his head and listened, then whispered to the
mate who went back and changed the _Whim's_ course.

"Now, Mr. Jack," he said, in a guarded tone, "we're behind her, and
dark, too; so keep all hands as quiet as mice, sir! Take the wheel and
steer as I signal from under my coat with this electric torch, like
this: one long, means put your helm up a point, two long means two
points; but a short flash means down a point, two short down two
points. D'you understand, sir? We've got to keep close to her, or
daylight'll find her gone! I'm going out on the bowsprit and, with this
piece of megaphone to help, think I can follow by sound. They're apt to
make some noise, believing themselves safe. And their blocks are bound
to rattle when they change their course--which they'll be doing before
long as we're both headed for the coast of Florida, twenty-five or
thirty miles off. Now go back quiet, sir, and watch for my lights."

God bless old Gates, I said to myself.

Till well into the night that indefatigable sea dog sat astride the
bowsprit with the crude sound magnifier over his ear, while I, alert and
watchful, gripped the wheel as though I were driving a speed boat. In
the beginning he had sent a few signals, and we jockied this way and
that, but after perhaps an hour we settled down to another straight
course--though I could not tell how near we were, or if we were sailing
right, or if they suspected us.

Tommy had come aft to keep me company, and now asked in a whisper:

"What do you think about that piano?"

"I th