e
become weak. I will eat and then see what may be done."

"Bravo, Mademoiselle!" said I. "That is spoken like a sensible woman."

"Yes," she went on, "I will try my eloquence upon them--those beasts.
They will not harm me, if I speak to them. It was Sir John before, and
he was only a man, and clumsy. I will sing to them, if necessary. I
will charm them. Have I not done it before?"

I wondered if the poor lady had any guess in her mind, had any
realisation at all, of what human passions, let loose as upon that
ship, amounted to. She spoke as a child, as a vain and hopeful child,
boasting of her influence. But it was the mood I wanted rather than the
hysterical state of tears. We ate, and drank a little brandy and water,
without interruption from without, and turned once more to the thought
of escape. The search was still going on, as sounds that came to our
ears indicated, and slowly the room darkened with the enveloping night.
I could just see the Princess across the cabin. Legrand whispered to
me:

"They're still hard at work. We shall have our chance soon."

Our plan was simple, if we could once get quit of our guards. One of
the smaller boats lay on the starboard side, and, hanging outwards from
the davits, could, from the slant of the _Sea Queen_ as she lay on the
rocks, be easily dropped and floated. If we could lower her into the
water and get the ladies into her, it would be possible, under cover of
the darkness and the preoccupation of the mutineers, to reach the
island. Once there, we must, of course, trust to our luck for food and
shelter.

Legrand got to his feet and moved noiselessly towards the door. The
yacht was comparatively still, and we could hear the lapping of the
quiet sea beyond the broken windows. I followed him.

"We have one jack-knife," I whispered in his ear. He nodded.

"And there are two men," he whispered back.

"Is the door locked?" He fumbled softly.

"I don't think so. They did not turn the key last time. But it's a
question of who's outside. If the body of the mutineers are still
there, we're done. If the two are alone----"

"They are alone," I whispered. "I can hear no noise. They're hunting
elsewhere."

"The darkness about suits us now. Explain to the ladies," he said under
his breath. "Let them be ready directly we are."

I went back to the couch and poured out my story through the darkness.
I spoke to two shadows, and as I did so a hand moved in the air and
touched