h over them that's stood by him when he hadn't a red and was
glad to cadge drinks off spiggoties in hells like the Colonel's at
Colon--him!"

But Lanyard had been listening only with his ears; he hadn't the
slightest interest in Mr. Mussey's resentment of the affectations of
Captain Monk. For now his mad scheme had suddenly assumed a complexion
of comparative simplicity; given the co-operation of the chief
engineer, all Lanyard would need to contribute would be a little
headwork, a little physical exertion, a little daring--and complete
indifference, which was both well warranted and already his, to abusing
the confidence of Mr. Mussey.

"But about this affair to-morrow night," he interrupted impatiently:
"attend to me a little, if you please, my friend. Can you give me any
idea where we are, or will, approximately, at midnight to-night?"

"What's that go to do----?"

"Perhaps I ask only for my own information. But it may be that I have a
plan. If we are to work together harmoniously, Mr. Mussey, you must
learn to have a little confidence in me."

"Beg your pardon," said an humble mutter. "We ought to be somewhere off
Nantucket Shoals Lightship."

"And the weather: have you sufficient acquaintance with these latitudes
to foretell it, even roughly?"

"Born and brought up in Edgartown, made my first voyage on a tramp out
of New Bedford: guess I know something about the weather in these
latitudes! The wind's been hauling round from sou'west to south all
day. If it goes on to sou'east, it'll likely be thick to-morrow, with
little wind, no sea to speak of, and either rain or fog."

"So! Now to do what I will have to do, I must have ten minutes of
absolute darkness. Can that be arranged?"

"Absolute darkness?" The mutter had a rising inflexion of dubiety. "How
d'you mean?"

"Complete extinguishing of every light on the ship."

"My God!" the mutter protested. "Do you know what that means? No lights
at night, under way, in main-travelled waters! Why, by nightfall we ought
to be off Block Island, in traffic as heavy as on Fifth Avenue! No: that's
too much."

"Too bad," Lanyard uttered, philosophic. "And the thing could have been
done."

"Isn't there some other way?"

"Not with lights to hamper my operations. But if some temporary
accident were to put the dynamoes out of commission--figure to yourself
what would happen."

"There'd be hell to pay."

"Ah! but what else?"

"The engines would have to be slowed