engaged in a chase, and the exciting question could be settled a few
hours hence as well as at the present time.

"If the steamer ahead is the Scotian or the Arran, as I fully believe
she is, probably her consort is somewhere in these waters," said the
commander.

"Probably she lost sight of her in this fog," added Flint. "But, Captain
Passford, we are in the face of something, though we do not yet know
precisely what. I suppose you have your eye on Mr. Lillyworth?"

"I have kept him in sight all the time. He is on the quarter deck now,
as he has been since all hands were called," replied Christy, who had
not failed to look at him for a full minute since the discovery of the
sail on the starboard. "He seems to be perplexed by the situation, and
his time for action, if he intends to act, has not yet come."

"I don't see Pink Mulgrum anywhere about the deck."

"I saw him a few minutes since," added Christy. "He passed several times
quite near Mr. Lillyworth, and very likely something was said between
them; but they had no long talk."

Christy had charged Dave to watch Mulgrum if he went below, and to
follow him up closely; but the deaf mute had been on deck most of the
time. There was nothing that he could do, and nothing that the second
lieutenant could do, to embarrass the operations of the ship while she
remained at rest. The captain then descended to the deck, and personally
looked into the condition of everything. In the course of his round he
came to the quarter deck where the second lieutenant was stationed. He
could see that he was nervous and uneasy about something, and it was not
difficult to divine what perplexed him. He could hardly see the black
smoke from the funnel of the steamer in the fog, for his place on the
deck did not permit him to obtain as good a view of her as could be had
from the bridge, and especially from aloft.

"Do you make out what that vessel is, Captain Passford?" asked
Lillyworth, as Christy passed near him.

"Not yet, Mr. Lillyworth," replied the captain, not caring to converse
with the conspirator.

"The fog does not seem to be very dense, and I should think the vessel
might be made out from aloft," added the second lieutenant, evidently
very anxious to know more about the sail ahead.

"Not very clearly," replied Christy, as he went forward to the engine
hatch.

He descended to the engine room, and while he was listening to the roar
of the flames in the furnaces, so diffe