gaining for the last few minutes, all I
could see of her made me more confident than before that she was
"Wilhelmina." Whether Alec MacNairne was actually in chase of us, or
whether it merely happened that he had to-day made up his mind to try
Zeeland, in his quest, remained to be seen; but be that as it might, we
were in the greatest danger of being overtaken.

In my agitation and fear of losing all, I could not concentrate my mind
upon the thinking out of any stratagem to outwit Alec if he came upon
us, and I dared not interrupt Alb's task by imploring him to rack his
brains. The thing for him to do, I told myself, was to keep ahead of
"Wilhelmina" at any price, especially while we were in open water. Once
we could gain the region of canals and narrow cross channels, we might
slip round a water-corner and disappear. Anything, anything, then, to
keep ahead!

"Run down and tell Hendrik to see that there's plenty of water," said
Alb. "It won't do for the motor to get hot. Say to him that we're going
to have a race."

"I can't make him understand," I wailed.

"I forgot. Well, take the wheel a minute, then----"

"I daren't. If I do, something's sure to go wrong; or I shall snap it
short off on its stem."

"You are a helpless chap, I must say."

"So would you be, if I told you to finish one of my pictures, perhaps."

"That's true. Well, say this."

And he uttered useless-sounding words in Dutch, which I repeated after
him until I knew them by heart. Then I went below and gabbled them to
Hendrik, not more than half wrong, for he seemed to understand. But
while the pink youth abandoned the operation of rubbing brass with
cotton waste in favor of bailing up water, I stood gazing at the motor,
praying it to do its best.

It was hot in the motor's den; so hot that it was no wonder the deck,
which formed the roof, often felt warm underfoot. Chump, chump, went the
engine, sounding stolid and Dutch and obstinate, as if nothing on earth
or water could induce it to go faster than it chose. It even seemed to
me as I gazed that it was slowing down, out of spite. I longed to feel
its pulses with a stop-watch in the other hand, and make sure. Could it
be that, after all, Alb had changed his mind, and meant to betray me?
No, it must be a trick of my amateurish fancy.

I assured myself of this two or three times over; but when Hendrik came
back with a big pail of water, I saw by his face that I had not been
deceived. Somethi