up at me I
gave one more comprehensive glance round the horizon, and then descended
to make my report.

"It is exceedingly odd," remarked the skipper, when I had assured him
that both vessels had vanished. "What can have become of them? The
brigantine can scarcely have taken the ship; for there has been, and
still is, far too much sea for boats to live in; and nobody but a madman
would ever dream of running a ship aboard in such weather; it would
simply mean the destruction of both craft. I wonder, now, whether that
actually is the explanation of their disappearance? But, no; the man
who commanded that brigantine was a sailor, whatever flag he may have
sailed under, and no sailor would even so much as think of attempting
such a foolhardy trick! What is your opinion, George?"

"I quite agree with you, sir, as to the impossibility of boarding a ship
in such weather as that of last night," I answered. "Yet the fact
remains that both craft have vanished. And I do not believe that their
disappearance is the result of any accident such as, for instance, one
of them running foul of the other during the darkness. Depend upon it,
sir, the brigantine is safe enough; and, wherever she may be at this
moment, the ship is not far from her."

"Well, it is a very extraordinary circumstance," observed the skipper;
"but I am inclined to believe, with you, that the disappearance of the
one is intimately connected with the disappearance of the other. The
question now is, in which direction ought they to be looked for?"

I considered the matter a little, and then said:

"It appears to me, sir, that there is at least one direction in which--
supposing our suspicions to be correct--they are quite certain not to be
found, and that is to windward, in which direction the convoy will soon
be making sail. If the brigantine is an enemy, and has had any hand in
the disappearance of the ship, depend upon it she would not shape a
course that would involve her being overtaken in a few hours by the
convoy, hampered as she would be by the disabled ship. Nor do I think
she would be altogether likely to run away to leeward; because if the
ship happens to be missed by the men-o'-war--as she pretty certainly
will be before long,--that is precisely the direction in which she would
naturally be looked for. Here we are, all hove-to on the larboard tack,
and my impression is that both vessels have remained on that tack; but,
instead of being ho