n they sighted one, and they took most of the
canvas off the vessel before three of them pulled away in the boat,
leaving Wyllard at the helm. It was blowing moderately fresh off
shore, and it was with feverish impatience he watched them toiling at
the oars, two of them pulling while the third man sculled. Then they
disappeared behind a point, and an anxious hour went by before the
boat, which now showed a very scanty strip of side above the tumbling
foam, crept out from the beach again. Having no breakers, they had
brought the water off in bulk, sitting in it as they pulled, and it was
fortunate that the boat lurched off shore easily before the little
splashing seas. They lost some of the water before they hove it into
the big and very rusty tank, and then they held a consultation when
they had swung the boat in and the schooner was running off to the east
again.

"We've about stores enough to last two weeks--that is, if you don't
expect too much," Lewson pointed out. "There's an American stove in
the deck-house, and while we can't find anything meant to burn in it
there's an axe down forward, and we could cut out cabin floorings, or a
beam or two, without taking too much stiffening out of her."

Wyllard, who had inspected the stores, fancied that a fortnight was the
very longest that could be counted on, though they ate no more than
would keep a modicum of strength in them. From their kind and quality
he surmised that they had been intended for the officials in charge of
the settlement.

"How did you get them, Tom?" he asked.

"The thing," said Lewson quietly, "was simple. It was dark and hazy,
and raining quite hard, and the first thing we did was to run the boat
down and leave her nearly afloat. Then we crawled back, and lay by
listening outside that store. We were figuring how we were to break it
in when two men came along. They went in and came out with a bag or
two, and as they left the door open we figured they were coming back
for more. We humped out a moderate load, and had just got it down to
the boat when we saw those men, or two others, in the haze. I was for
lying by, but Charly would get out then."

Charly laughed drily. "He wanted to take the rifle and go back to look
for Smirnoff. I'd no use for any trouble of that kind, and I shoved
the boat off while he was seeing how many ca'tridges there were in the
magazine. He waded in and grabbed the boat when he saw I was sure
going, but I s