less interest
than the advent of two strange ships on the scene--for, singularly
enough, these were the first craft that they had sighted since leaving
the African coast--and everybody at once made a dash below for his or
her own especial pair of binoculars.

The two strange craft were coming along at a great rate, and rising
above the horizon very quickly; thus, by the time that Mildmay returned
to the deck with his glasses in his hand, the leading ship was almost
straight ahead, and had risen sufficiently to show her chart-house above
the horizon, and to enable "the skipper" to see that she carried a
wheel-house on top of the fore end of it, and a short awning abaft the
wheel-house.

"Yes," he muttered to himself, "she is a liner, undoubtedly; and an X.
and Z. boat at that, unless I am greatly mistaken. Two masts--the
mainmast stepped a long way aft; and two funnels amidships, pretty close
together--yes; she is an X. and Z.; I'll bet my hat on that. And she is
steaming for all she is worth. I can see the `white feather' blowing
away from the top of her waste-pipes. Now, is she racing with that
other chap; or--is she running away from him?"

He turned his binoculars upon the sternmost ship, which was also coming
along at a great rate, and gradually lifting above the horizon. About
half the length of her masts--two of them--was now showing; and as
Mildmay focussed his lenses upon them an ejaculation of astonishment
escaped his lips.

"A man-o'-war, by the Lord Harry!" he exclaimed. "Yes; there are her
upper signal-yards, and her fighting-tops below them, clear enough. By
the piper, this is growing interesting indeed. Now, who and what is
she? and why is she chasing a British liner?--for she _is_ chasing her,
beyond a doubt!"

"Well, Mildmay, what do you make of them?" inquired Sir Reginald, as he
at this moment stepped out on deck.

"I make of it," answered Mildmay, "that the leading ship is an X. and Z.
liner steaming for all she is worth; and that the second ship is a
man-o'-war--a second-class cruiser, I should say--chasing her!"

"The dickens you do!" returned Sir Reginald. "Then what does it mean?
Is it not something rather unusual?"

"It is so extremely unusual, that I am going to ask your permission to
haul up a point or two, presently, that we may investigate the matter,"
answered Mildmay. "There is only one possible explanation of it; and
that is that war has quite suddenly broken out betwee