ilderman?" I asked presently, and though we looked
everywhere for the American he was nowhere to be seen.

"He didn't look the sort to funk like that," said Dennis thoughtfully.

"I should have been prepared to bet he was quite brave," I concurred.
"Well, anyway," I added, "the main point is, what do you think of our
entertainment? You've come a long way for it, but I hope you are not
disappointed now you've seen it. It's original, isn't it?"

"By heaven, Ron!" he cried, "you're right. It is original. It is even
a more unholy, indescribable mystery than I expected, and I never
accused you of exaggerating it, even in my own mind."

"I'm glad that both you and Hilderman have had ocular demonstration
of it," I remarked. "It is so much more convincing, and will help
you to go into the matter without any feeling that we are out on a
hare-brained shadow-chase."

"We're certainly not that, anyhow," Dennis agreed emphatically. "It is
a real mystery, Ronald, my boy. A real danger, as well, I'm afraid.
But we'll stick at it till the end."

"Thanks, old fellow," I said simply, and then I added, "I wonder what
can have become of Hilderman?"

"Gad!" cried Dennis, in sudden alarm. "He can't have fallen into the
river by any chance?"

We jumped to our feet and looked about us.

"No," I said presently, "he hasn't fallen into the river." And I
pointed a finger out to sea. The _Baltimore II._, churning a frantic
way across to Glasnabinnie, seemed to divide the intervening water in
one great white slash.

"I wonder," said Dennis quietly, "_is_ that funk, or isn't it?"

We watched the diminishing craft for a minute or two in silence, and
finally decided to keep an open mind on the subject until we might
have an opportunity to see Hilderman and hear his own explanation.

"Talking about explanations, what about the left-handed schoolmaster
with the red-headed wife, or whatever it was?" I asked.

"That was a bit of luck," said Dennis modestly, "and I will admit, if
you like, that we owe that to Garnesk."

"Garnesk wasn't there," I protested.

"No," my friend admitted, "he wasn't there at the time, but he put
me on the look-out for a left-handed sailor. I was very much
impressed with his deductions about the man who stole Miss McLeod's
dog, and I determined to be on the look-out for a left-handed man. I
also admit that I carefully watched everyone we met, especially the
fishermen at Mallaig, to see if I could detect the sort