captain. "I give you permission to go and dig
over all the islands in the Pacific; there's a goodish number of them,
and it's a fairly common shape."

"It seems to me it's nobody's property," said Tredgold, slowly. "That is
to say, it's anybody's that finds it. It isn't your property, Captain
Bowers? You lay no claim to it?"

"No, no," said the captain. "It's nothing to do with me. You go and
find it," he repeated, with enjoyment.

Mr. Tredgold laughed too, and his eye travelled mechanically towards the
bureau. "If we do," he said, cordially, "you shall have your share."

The captain thanked him and, taking up the bottle, refilled their
glasses. Then, catching the dull, brooding eye of Mr. Stobell as that
plain-spoken man sat in a brown study trying to separate the serious from
the jocular, he drank success to their search. He was about to give vent
to further pleasantries when he was stopped by the mysterious behaviour
of Mr. Chalk, who, first laying a finger on his lip to ensure silence,
frowned severely and nodded at the door leading to the kitchen.

The other three looked in the direction indicated. The door stood half
open, and the silhouette of a young woman in a large hat put the upper
panels in shadow. The captain rose and, with a vigorous thrust of his
foot, closed the door with a bang.

"Eavesdropping," said Mr. Chalk, in a tense whisper.

"There'll be a rival expedition," said the captain, falling in with his
mood. "I've already warned that young woman off once. You'd better
start tonight."

He leaned back in his chair and surveyed the company pleasantly.
Somewhat to Mr. Chalk's disappointment Mr. Tredgold began to discuss
agriculture, and they were still on that theme when they rose to depart
some time later. Tredgold and Chalk bade the captain a cordial
good-night; but Stobell, a creature of primitive impulses, found it
difficult to shake hands with him. On the way home he expressed an
ardent desire to tell the captain what men of sense thought of him.

The captain lit another pipe after they had gone, and for some time sat
smoking and thinking over the events of the evening. Then Mr. Tasker's
second infringement of discipline occurred to him, and, stretching out
his hand, he rang the bell.

"Has that young woman gone?" he inquired, cautiously, as Mr. Tasker
appeared.

"Yessir," was the reply.

"What about your articles?" demanded the captain, with sudden loudness.
"What do yo