trip. Nat swore he could not
lose, and the old man, who was honest enough himself, must have
wondered what his son was up to.

"This mirror proves that Nat must have been aboard the schooner
secretly; what he told his father and his eagerness to bet with me on
a proposition that seemed foolhardy on the face of it clinch the thing
in my mind. The misguided fool! That, Elsa, is an example of how low a
man will go who has been spoiled and brought up without the slightest
idea of self-control."

"Why, you're preaching to me, Code," laughed the girl, and he joined
her. But she sobered in a moment.

"This is all very fine theory," she said, "and I half believe it
myself, but it's worthless; you haven't a grain of proof. Tell me,
have you ever thought over the details of the sinking of the _May?_"

"Only once," groaned Schofield, "and I--I hate to do it, Elsa. I'd
rather not. Every time I think of that awful day I sweat with sheer
horror. Every incident of it is engraved on my brain."

"But listen, Code, you must think about it for once, and think about
it with all your mind. Tell me everything that happened. It is vital
to our case; it may save the whole thing from being worthless. Even
if we get nothing you must make the effort."

Code knew that what Elsa said was true. With an effort he focused his
mind back on that awful day and began.

"There was a good sea that day," he said, "and more than half a gale
out of the northeast. If it had been any other day I shouldn't have
taken the old _May_ out at all, because she was loaded very deep. But
the whole trip was a hurry call and they wanted me to get back to
Mignon with the salt as soon as I could.

"Old Burns saw me on the wharf and asked if he could go along as
passenger. I said he could, and we started early in the morning. Now
that day wasn't anything unusual, Elsa. I've been in a lot worse gales
in the _May_, but not with her so deep; but I didn't think anything
would happen.

"Everything went all right for three hours, with the wind getting
fresher all the time, and the vessel under four lowers, which was a
pretty big strain on any schooner. As I say, she should have stood it,
but all of a sudden, on a big lurch, the fore topm'st that hadn't a
rag on her broke off short and banged down, hanging by the guys. With
one swipe it smashed the foregaff to splinters, and half the canvas
hung down flapping like a great wing.

"I couldn't understand it. I knew the top