stir in the boat, and a moment later it was speeding towards
them.

"Row on, Dominique. She will pick us up in no time."

And long before they reached the Osprey the gig was alongside.

"Thank God that you are back, sir," they cried as they came
abreast. "We have been in terrible anxiety about you. Have you
succeeded, sir?"

"Don't cheer. I want to get back to the yacht before they know that
we are here. Yes, thank God, I have succeeded. Miss Greendale and
her maid are on board."

A low cheer, which even his order could not entirely suppress, came
from the three men in the boat. The mate was himself rowing stroke.

"We did not dare bring any more hands, sir," he said. "There has
been such a hubbub on shore for the last hour and a half that we
thought it likely that they and the Phantom's people might be going
to attack us. We rowed to the landing at ten o'clock, as you
ordered us, but in a short time a party of men came along close to
the water, and as soon as they saw us they opened fire on us, and
we had to row off sharp. We have been lying off here since. We did
not see how you could get down through that lot, but we thought it
better to wait. I did think there was just a hope that you might
make your way down to the coast somewhere else and come on in a
shore boat.

"Well, here we are, sir."

As he spoke they came alongside the Osprey.

"Is it you, sir?" Hawkins asked eagerly.

"Look here, lads," Frank replied, standing up, "above all things I
don't want any cheering, or any noise whatever. I don't want them
to know that we have got on board. I know that you will all rejoice
with me, for I have brought off Miss Greendale, and none of our
party except one of the boatmen has been wounded in any way
seriously."

There was a murmur of deep satisfaction from the crew. As Bertha
stepped on deck the men crowded round with low exclamations of "God
bless you, miss! This is a good day indeed for us!"

Bertha, in reply to the greeting, shook hands all round.

"I see you have not put out the lights in the cabin yet, Hawkins. I
will just go down with Miss Greendale and see that she is
comfortable, and then I will come up again."

"Oh, Frank!" the girl exclaimed, bursting into tears as they
entered the saloon, "this is happiness indeed. I feel at home
already."

Frank remained with her for three or four minutes.

"Now, dear, take possession of your old cabin again. No doubt Anna
is there already. She had b