used and sleepy as they were, they saw the cause in a moment--the
big living tent, in which meals were to be eaten in case of rainy
weather, was all ablaze, and the wind that had sprung up during the
night was blowing the sparks to the other tents, which caught fire as
the girls, frightened and almost panic stricken, rushed out.

For a moment there was no concerted effort, but then Eleanor took
command of the situation, and in a moment a line had been formed, and
pails full of water from the sea were being handed from one girl to
another.

The yacht had sprung into life at the first sign of the fire, and now,
as the girls worked, they heard the sound of oars, as boats were
hurriedly pushed ashore. In a minute a dozen men had joined them in
their fight against the fire, and, thanks to this unexpected aid, one or
two of the tents, which had been furthest from the one in which the
blaze had started, were saved.

The men from the yacht worked heroically, but their presence and their
shouts created a new confusion. And in the midst of it Bessie, a pail of
water in her hand, saw a man seize Zara and carry her, struggling,
toward a boat. She was just about to cry out when a hand covered her
mouth, and the next instant she was lifted in strong arms, carried to
the boat, and pushed in.

Then two men sprang aboard, and one held the girls, while the other
pulled quickly toward the yacht. They were prisoners!

CHAPTER XV

DOLLY RANSOM MAKES GOOD

"Keep still, and you won't be hurt!" commanded the man who held them.
Bessie had no choice in the matter for his hand covered her mouth, and,
even had she wished to do so, she could not have cried out.

In a moment, too, looking toward Zara, she saw that she had fainted, and
her own predicament was made worse than ever, since the ruffian who held
her could now devote all his attention to her. So, utterly helpless, and
almost ready to despair, Bessie had to submit to being carried up the
little companion ladder that ran to the yacht's deck.

As soon as she was on deck a handkerchief was slipped over her eyes,
and, though she could hear the low murmur of voices, and was almost sure
that one was that of Mr. Holmes, her arch enemy, she could not be
positive. Her one hope now was that Dolly or some one of the others on
the beach would have seen her abduction. But, even if they had, what
could they do?

"Suppose they did see," poor Bessie thought to herself; "they couldn't
d