am
pinnace."

"Quite," answered Milsom. "But"--as he leaned out over the rail and
glanced up at the yacht's funnel, which he could thus just see clear of
the awning--"we might slip our moorings and go out in the yacht, if you
like, Senor. I see that we have steam enough to move; and we are free
to go to sea at any moment, now, you know."

"So I understand," answered Don Hermoso. "Yet I think we had better
remain where we are a little longer; for I am anxious to assure myself,
before starting on our trip, that the _Potter_ has succeeded in landing
her cargo and getting away safely. And if we were to go to sea just now
we should be obliged to proceed on our voyage, I think; we could advance
no good reason for hanging about outside and watching the movements of
strange craft."

"No, no, of course not; I quite see your point," agreed Milsom. "It
would undoubtedly be better to remain where we are for an hour or two
longer, and see how the affair eventually develops. But I wouldn't mind
betting that that signal had some reference to the American boat, for
see how furiously they are firing up aboard the cruiser."

They were indeed firing up "furiously", as Milsom had said; for dense
clouds of black smoke were now continuously pouring and billowing out of
both funnels of the cruiser, to the outspoken scorn and derision of
Macintyre, who had his own ideas upon the subject of "firing", his
theory being that to make steam quickly, and keep it when made, one
should "fire" lightly and continuously.

Meanwhile the preparations for going to sea were progressing apace
aboard the cruiser, the boats being all hoisted in except one, which,
with a couple of hands in her, was hanging on to the buoy to which the
cruiser was moored, in readiness to unshackle the cable from the mooring
ring so soon as the vessel had steam enough to enable her to move. The
bells of the shipping in the harbour were chiming eight--which in this
case meant noon--when the first white feather of steam began to play
about the tops of the cruiser's steam pipes; and at the sight the
watchers on board the yacht stirred in their chairs and assumed a more
alert attitude, for further developments might now be looked for.

They came--within the next five minutes--the first of them being the
sudden lowering of the captain's gig aboard the cruiser, the hurried
descent of her crew into her by way of the davit tackles, and the
hauling of her alongside the hastily