for the grub."

The two craft drew together, and for the rest it was like the other
holdup. The hose was passed, and, while the tanks were filling, the boat
passed back and forth, making three trips, heavily laden with barrels,
packages, and boxes. Then, when Forsythe gave the word, the hose was
drawn back, the boat hoisted and secured, and the two craft separated
without another word of threat or protest.

CHAPTER XI

"Fully committed," muttered Denman, as he drew back from the deadlight.
"They'll stop at nothing now."

He was about to open his door to visit Florrie, if she had descended,
when it was opened from without by Billings, who had brought his
breakfast.

"We'll have better grub for a while, sir," he said, as he deposited the
tray on the desk. "Suppose you know what happened?"

"Yes, and I see life imprisonment for all of you, unless you are killed
in the catching."

"Can't help it, sir," answered Billings, with a deprecatory grin. "We're
not going back to jail, nor will we starve on the high seas. All we're
waiting for is the course to the African coast--unless--" He paused.

"Unless what?" demanded Denman, leaning over his breakfast.

"Well--unless the vote is to stay at sea. We've got a good, fast boat
under us."

"What do you mean? Continued piracy?"

"I can't tell you any more, sir," answered Billings, and he went off,
after carefully locking the door behind him.

When Denman had finished his breakfast, he quietly let himself out.
Tapping on the after door, he saw Florrie's shadow on the translucent
glass, and opened it.

She stood before him with the bandages removed, and he saw her features
for the first time since she had come aboard. They were pink, and here
and there was a blister that had not yet disappeared; but, even so
handicapped, her face shone with a beauty that he had never seen in a
woman nor imagined in the grown-up child that he remembered. The large,
serious, gray eyes were the same; but the short, dark ringlets had
developed to a wealth of hair that would have suitably crowned a queen.

Denman stood transfixed for a moment, then found his tongue.

"Florrie," he said, softly, so as not to be heard from above, "is this
really you? I wouldn't have known you."

"Yes, I know," she answered, with a smile, which immediately changed to
a little grimace of pain. "I was badly scalded, but I had to take off
the cloth to eat my breakfast."

"No," he said. "I didn't mean tha