e second report, Saltash was seated in
the captain's cabin on board the _Corfe Castle_, with a strong brandy and
soda before him, giving a brief and vigorous account of himself and his
company. Yes, he was Charles Burchester, Viscount Saltash, owner of the
private yacht, _The Night Moth_. He was returning from Valrosa alone with
his captain and his crew. They had been cruising in the Atlantic with the
idea of going south, but he had recently changed his mind and decided
to go home. He had not expected such damnable luck as to be run down in
home waters, but he supposed that Fate was against him. He only asked now
to be put ashore as soon as possible, being for the moment heartily sick
of sea-travel. This with his most rueful grimace which Captain Beaumont
of the _Corfe Castle_ received with gravely official sympathy.

"Well, I hope you don't blame us for your bad luck," he said. "We might
have been sunk ourselves."

"I never blame anyone but the devil for that," said Saltash generously.
"And as you managed to pick us all up I am glad on the whole that you
weren't."

And then he turned sharply at a knock on the door behind him to see a
lean, lank man enter who peered at him curiously through screwed-up eyes
as though he had never seen anything like him before.

Captain Beaumont introduced him. "This is Dr. Hurst. He has come to
report. Well, doctor? I hope you bring good news."

Dr. Hurst came forward to the table, still looking very attentively at
Saltash.

The latter's odd eyes challenged him with royal self-assurance. "Well?
What is the news?" he questioned. "Fished for a sprat and caught a
whale--or is it t'other way round?"

The doctor cleared his throat and turned to the captain. "Yes, my report
is good on the whole," he said. "None of the men are seriously injured,
thanks to your prompt rescue measures. Captain Larpent is still
unconscious; he is suffering from concussion. But I believe he will
recover. And--and--" he hesitated, looking again at Saltash--"the--the
person whose life you saved--"

Saltash leaned back in his chair, grinning mischievously. "To be sure!
The person--whose life I saved! What of that person, Dr. Hurst?"

"Had you a passenger?" interrupted the captain. "I understood you saved a
cabin-boy."

"Pray continue!" he said lightly. "What of the cabin-boy? None the worse,
I hope?"

The doctor's lank figure drew together with a stiff movement of distaste.
"I see," he said, "that you ar