here are any bays that she would be
likely to take shelter in, and we can then see the order in which
we had better take them."

This was a little beyond Dominique's English, but Pedro explained
it to him, and at Frank's request went below with them; Frank
telling Hawkins to weigh anchor as soon as the tanks were filled
and the stores were on board. He had, before he came off, returned
to Senor Cordovo and paid for all the things supplied.

Going through the islands, one by one, Dominique made a cross
against all that possessed harbours or inlets, that would each have
to be examined.

"Tortola is the least likely of the places for them to go," Frank
said, "as it is a British island."

"Not many people dar, sar. Most people in town. De rest of island
rock, all hills broken up, many good harbours."

"What is its size, Dominique?"

"Twelve miles long, sar. Two miles wide."

"Well, that is not a great deal to search, if we have to examine
every inch of the coast. How many people are there?"

"Two, three hundred white men. Dey live in de town most all. Two,
three thousand blacks."

"Well, we will begin with the others. I should think that in a
fortnight we ought to be able to do them all."

The next twelve days were occupied in a fruitless search. Every
fishing boat was overhauled and questioned, and Frank and Pedro
went ashore to every group of huts. The only fact that they
learned, was that a schooner answering to the description had been
seen some time before. The information respecting her was, however,
very vague; for some asserted that she was sailing one way, some
another; and Frank concluded that she had cruised about for some
days, before deciding where to lie up. It was at Tortola that they
first gained any useful information. Many vessels had, during the
last six weeks, entered one or other of the deep creeks, and one of
them had laid up for nearly a month in a narrow inlet with but one
or two negro huts on shore. It was undoubtedly the Phantom, or
rather the Dragon, for the negroes had noticed that name on her
stern. She had sailed on the day after the hurricane, and, as they
learned from shore villages at other points, had gone west.

"Well, it is a comfort to think that even if we had sailed direct
here from Porto Rico we should not have caught her," Frank said to
George Lechmere. "She had left here two days before we got there. I
suppose they have someone on board who has been in the islands
be