n fired off half-a-dozen foul-mouthed expletives, and only
checked them when a telegraph boy skipped across the gang-plank and
handed him an orange-coloured envelope. Tearing it open, he glanced at
the contents and bade the youth begone. The form contained the single
word "Advance." Brant tore it into little pieces, and threw them
overboard.

"Sailing orders," he said laconically. "Make things hum, Cheeseman. We
must be off as soon as we get a full head of steam on her."

In ten seconds the vessel was in a state of orderly confusion. The crew
appeared as by magic from the forecastle and went to their stations; the
engine-room staff mustered round the shining monsters that were their
especial care; the lazy fumes of blue vapour hovering over the funnel
from the banked fires changed to great coils of black smoke as the
stokers got to work on the furnaces. Brant took his place on the bridge,
and watched his gang of ruffians with sinister satisfaction. The period
of suspense was over, and they would give him no more trouble now that
the lust of gold was on them, and they were in a fair way to verify
Nugent's promises of a princely wage.

It was not long before the mate ran up the bridge stairs and reported a
full head of steam and all ready to cast off. As he did so a cab rattled
over the cobblestones of the quay road, and drew up opposite the
_Cobra_.

"And here's the lady passenger's outfit, just in time not to be left
behind," he added, catching sight of the cab as a young woman jumped
nimbly out of the vehicle, and, after paying the driver, came towards
the ship. Her progress was somewhat impeded by the weight of two large
cardboard boxes which she was carrying.

Captain Brant cocked his bloodshot eye at the draper's assistant who had
been entrusted with the delivery of the urgent order, and an inspiration
came to him. The girl was not prepossessing, having strongly-marked,
determined features; but she had a powerful, almost masculine frame, for
all its size, not devoid of a certain panther-like grace. Brant uttered
one of his nasty cackles, and turned to Cheeseman.

"We'll kill two birds with one stone, Bully," he said. "There's the fair
passenger's blooming trousseau, and there, by gosh, is the blooming
stewardess. Take the girl down into the saloon, and keep your jaw-tackle
busy with her while I get a move on the ship. Say you must check the
goods, or any flam of the sort. She'll do as well as another, soon as