way one acts on a small craft. Many are afraid at
first of the low gunwales on a yacht like this."

Miss Mallory felt the disgust of Madame Sorenson for them both; felt it
was deserved. "Ah, yes, Miss Mallory," he declared, delighted with her
and himself and the world.

He raised one foot to the railing, and his manner became all the more
at home, as he lifted his cigar with a flourish. "Like our host, I have
sailed many seas and not a few with him," he added.

He was standing close to the rail, directly over the forecastle. Miss
Mallory drew a step or two nearer, and announced, as if such a remark
had never been thought of:

"What a perfect little thing of her kind the _Savonarola_ is!... I
believe she is staunch enough to go anywhere.... Just listen how tight
and solid her planking is!"

She would have signaled that instant, but her approach had been
Sorenson's cue for a certain fond attention and endearment, which ended
in a briny obfuscation....

It had been such a little push, too. She tossed a lifering after him,
saw him come up and catch his stroke--as she tapped the deck with her
stick--the three doubles sharply....

And now a sunburst of small but striking events. Madame Sorenson had
not seen, but she launched a scream with the splash. The Chinese,
squatted aft, had not seen, but like good servants, with well-ordered
minds, they rushed from the wheel to the davits, and proceeded to get a
small boat into the water, a temperate thing to do with a man
overboard. Miss Mallory did not scream, so as to disturb anybody, but
hurried aft, urging the Chinese. "Both go!" she called. "He's such a
big man!"

The boat was launched. Sorenson was swimming--his oaths proved
that--but rapidly receding. The Glow-worm rushed out of the cabin,
Framtree following. The latter halted, however, at a sharp command of
the Spaniard. Then Miss Mallory heard Bedient's voice. It was not
lifted above the normal tone, and hoarse with thirst.

She craned her head forward from the wheel to peer into the cabin.
Bedient's face was like death. He did not even have a pistol in his
hand, but there was a look in his eyes she had never seen in any eyes
before, and he was smiling. The disturbance on deck, Bedient's face and
command, had held Rey and Framtree, but the former's hand now reached
toward his hip. Bedient caught it with an incredibly quick movement,
and took the gun from the Senor's pocket.

"Just to reduce tension to a minimum,