cried Ellinwood in amazement. "I didn't see her, but I
heard her, an' I got a message from her for you. It was night when
they come up on us an' hailed.

"They said they had news of you, an' would we send a dory over. Would
we? They was about six over in as many minutes. But they wouldn't let
us aboard. No, sir; kept us off with poles an' asked for me.

"When I got in clost they told me the _Rosan_ had found you, and
handed me an envelope with a message inside of it. Just as I was goin'
away there came the most awful clickin' an' flashin' amidships I ever
saw--"

"Wireless," said Code.

"Wal, I've heard of it, but I never see it before; an' I come away as
quick as I could."

"And the message?" asked Code curiously.

Pete laboriously unpinned a waistcoat-pocket and produced an envelope
which he handed to Code. It was sealed, and the skipper tore away the
end. The mystery and interest of the thing played upon his mind until
he was in a tremble of nervous excitement.

At last he would know what the schooner was and why.

Eagerly he opened the message. It was typewritten on absolutely plain
paper and unsigned, further baffling his curiosity. After a moment he
read:

"CAPTAIN SCHOFIELD:

"Yesterday at St. Andrew's suit was filed against you for murder
in the first degree upon the person of Michael Burns, late of
Freekirk Head, Grande Mignon Island. Plaintiff, Nathaniel Burns,
son of the deceased. There is an order out for your arrest. This
is a friendly warning and no more. You are now fore-armed!"

CHAPTER XVII

TRAWLERS

Schofield stood as one stupefied, staring blankly at the fateful
words.

Murder in the first degree!

Had it not been for his thorough knowledge of Nat Burns's character he
would have laughed at the absurdity of the thing and thrown the
message over the side.

But now he remained like one fast in the clutch of some horrible
nightmare, unable to reason, unable to think coherently, unable to do
anything but attempt to sound the depths of a hatred such as this.

"For Heaven's sake, what is it, skipper?" asked Ellinwood.

Code passed the message to his mate without a word. His men might as
well know the worst at once. Ellinwood read slowly.

"Rot!" he snarled in his great rumbling voice. "Murder? How does he
get murder out of it?"

"If I sank the old _May Schofield_ for her insurance money, which is
what every one believes, then I deliberately caused the death of