eed. "You young people do not skip
half as well as we used to when I was a boy; and I should have given you
a lesson if I had not been afraid of shaking the ship's timbers to
pieces."

"How absurd you are, Mr. Atherton!" Marion said pettishly. "Of course
you are not thin, but you always talk of yourself as if you were
something monstrous."

Mr. Atherton laughed. His diversion had had the desired effect, and had
led them away from the subject of the fight on shore.

"There is a galley putting off from shore with a lot of officials on
board," the captain said, coming up at this moment. "They are rowing to
the next ship, and I suppose they will visit us next."

A quarter of an hour later the galley came alongside, and three
officials mounted the gangway. The captain went forward to meet them.
"Is there anything I can do for you, gentlemen?"

"There has been a crime committed on shore," the leader of the party
said, "and it is suspected that some of those concerned in the matter
are on board one of the ships in the harbour. I have authority to make a
strict search on board each."

"You are perfectly welcome to do so, sir," the captain said. "One of
our officers will show you over the ship."

"I must trouble you to show me your list of passengers and crew, and to
muster the men on deck. But first I must ask you, Did any of your boats
return on board late?"

"No," the captain replied. "Our last boat was hauled up to the davits at
half-past nine. There was a heavy day's work before the men to-day, and
I therefore refused leave on shore."

The men were ordered to be mustered, and while they were collecting the
second-mate went round the ship with the officials, and they saw that no
one was below in his berth. The men's names were called over from the
list, and the officials satisfied that all were present and in good
health.

"Now for the passengers," he said

"I cannot ask them to muster," the captain observed, "but I will walk
round with you and point out those on the list. There are some eight or
ten on shore. They will doubtless be off to lunch; and if you leave an
officer on board he will see that they are by no means the sort of
people to take part in such an affair as that which has happened on
shore."

The officials went round the deck, but saw nothing whatever to excite
their suspicion. Marion Renshaw was laughing and talking with Mr.
Atherton, Miss Mitford walking up and down the poop in conversation w