ens! where's Saint Maur?" cried Jack. "Can he have gone
below?"

"That's not likely. Alick, where are you?" cried Captain Murray, the
fearful idea occurring to him that some accident might have happened to
his son.

"Here, sir," cried Alick, who had been forward talking to Ben
Snatchblock.

Murray uttered his thanks to Heaven. "Bring a light here, and look
round the deck," he exclaimed. "He may have been struck down."

The search was in vain. The man who had been at the helm seemed to have
been seriously injured, as he was found senseless close to the taffrail.
It became too sadly evident that the young lord had been carried
overboard.

He must have been struck on the head; for no cry had been heard, and,
owing to the pitchy darkness, no one had seen him. The crew, with the
exception of the helmsman, having been gathered forward, they were now
mustered to ascertain if any one else had been carried overboard, but
all answered to their names.

Murray and Jack blamed themselves bitterly for having left the deck when
they ought to have been on the look-out; but even had they remained, the
collision might not have been avoided, so suddenly had the stranger
appeared running down before the wind. Adair could scarcely restrain
his grief for the loss of his nephew. Murray immediately put the
schooner about, and then kept away, so as to pass over the spot where
the accident had occurred. Desmond might possibly have recovered his
senses, and kept himself afloat, either by swimming or holding on to the
fragments of the boat. Every eye was strained in looking ahead and on
both sides, in the possibility of discovering him; but no voice replied
to their repeated shouts, and nothing was seen floating on the water.
Hands were stationed at the falls to lower the boat, should it become
necessary. The schooner was frequently tacked, so that every inch of
water was explored; but the search was in vain.

Murray considered that it would be useless to attempt to overtake the
stranger, to ascertain who she was, and to demand reparation for the
damage inflicted. At length the search was abandoned as hopeless; and
the yacht once more hauled her wind. She was destined, to all
appearance, to have a long beat up Channel.

Jack undertook to convey the sad intelligence to his wife and Mrs
Murray, who had remained below, wondering what had occurred.

It was a sad event in the trip, which had otherwise been so agreeable.
The win