edding?"

"So you shall. And a better I could not possibly desire."

"I like to hear you say that. We've been through a good deal together
since we left Europe, haven't we?"

"We have, and to-night will bring it to a climax, or I'm much mistaken."

"Do you think Nikola will show fight?"

"Not a doubt about it I should think. If he finds himself cornered he'll
probably fight like a demon."

"It's Baxter I want to meet."

"Nikola is my man. I've a big grudge against him, and I want to pay it."

"How little we thought when we were cruising about Bournemouth Bay
together that within such a short space of time we should be sailing the
South Pacific on such an errand! It seems almost too strange to be
possible."

"So it does! All's well that ends well, however. Let's hope we're going
to be successful to-night. Now I'm going on the bridge to see if I can
pick the land up ahead."

I left him and went forward to the captain's side. Dusk had quite fallen
by this time, rendering it impossible to see very far ahead. A hand had
been posted in the fore-rigging as a look-out, and every moment we
expected to hear his warning cry; but nearly an hour passed, and still
it did not come.

Then suddenly the shout rang out, "Land ahead!" and we knew that our
destination was in sight. Long before this all our lights had been
obscured, and so, in the darkness--for a thick pall of cloud covered the
sky--we crept up towards the coast. Within a couple of minutes of
hearing the hail every man on board was on deck gazing in the direction
in which we were proceeding.

By tea time we had brought the land considerably nearer, and by eight
o'clock were within three miles of it. Not a sign, however, of any craft
could we discover, and the greatest vigilance had to be exercised on our
part to allow no sign to escape us to show our whereabouts to those
ashore. Exactly at nine o'clock the shore party, fully armed, assembled
on deck, and the surf-boat was swung overboard. Then in the darkness we
crept down the gangway and took our places. The mate was in possession
of the tiller, and when all was ready we set off for the shore.

CHAPTER VI

CONCLUSION

Once we had left her side and turned our boat's nose towards the land,
the yacht lay behind us, a black mass, nearly absorbed in the general
shadow. Not a light showed itself, and everything was as still as the
grave; the only noise to be heard was the steady dip, dip of the oars in