about in time," he said, with a smile. "You were nearly
there. But I suppose the story is made up for the occasion. What is your
cargo?"

The captain went over quite a list of articles; the sailors who were
with Clif chuckled with delight as they heard him.

"We get a share in all this," Clif heard one of them whisper under his
breath.

Clif smiled; and as soon as the captain finished he raised his arm and
pointed to the stern of the vessel.

"You and your men will go aft," he commanded, "for the present; I will
see you shortly."

The Spaniard was on the point of obeying; he had half turned, when
suddenly with a single bound the treacherous Ignacio sprang forward.

His keen knife glanced in the air as he raised it in his outstretched
arm and leaped upon the unsuspecting cadet.

Ignacio was clever at that sort of thing. He had tried it before; his
spring had been silent as a cat's. Neither the sailors nor the officer
heard him. And the blow might have fallen; Clif's only warning of his
deadly peril.

But unfortunately for the desperate assassin, he had failed to let the
captain of that vessel know what he meant to do. And the captain, as he
saw him leap, realized in a flash that would mean an instant hanging for
him.

And a look of horror swept over his face; Clif saw it and whirled about.

He was just in time to find himself face to face with his deadliest
enemy; and the knife was hissing through the air.

CHAPTER IV.

IN COMMAND OF THE PRIZE.

It was a moment of horrible peril. Clif's blood fairly froze. But quick
as a flash his arm shot up.

And he caught the descending wrist; for an instant the two glared into
each other's eyes, straining and twisting. And then the two sailors of
the Uncas leaped forward and seized the baffled Spaniard.

And almost in the twinkling of an eye-lid, Clif Faraday was saved. He
could hardly realize what had happened, and he staggered back against
the railing of the vessel and gasped for breath.

But that was only for a moment, too; and then the blood surged back to
his cheeks and the cadet was himself once more.

He stepped forward, a calm smile playing about his mouth.

"Bind that man," he said to the sailors.

The two men were grasping the sinewy Cuban and holding him so tight that
he could not move. They almost crushed his wrists, and he dropped the
knife with a hoarse cry of pain.

And Clif picked it up and glanced at it for a moment, then flung it f