e West Indies," replied Mr. Gilfleur. "When I had formed
my plan of operations in the vicinity of Nassau, in order to obtain the
information the government desired, I bought this boat. When picked up,
the boat had her spars, sails, oars, water-breakers, and other articles
carefully stowed away on board of her; and it appeared as though she had
broken adrift from her moorings, or had been carried away by a rising
tide from some beach where those in charge of her had landed. I happened
to find the captain of the vessel that brought the boat to New York; and
he made me pay roundly for her, so that he got well rewarded for his
trouble in picking it up."

The Chateaugay stood due south till six o'clock at little more than half
speed, and when she came about her dead reckoning indicated that she was
seventy-five miles to the south-west of Gibbs Hill light. The weather
was very favorable for the proposed enterprise, with a moderate breeze
from the west. Mr. Gilfleur did not wish to leave the ship till after
midnight, for all he desired was to get inside the outer reefs before
daylight. The speed of the ship was regulated to carry out this idea.

The light so frequently mentioned in the conference is three hundred and
sixty-two feet above the sea level, for it is built on the highest point
of land in the south of the Bermudas, and could be seen at a distance of
thirty miles. At three bells in the first watch the light was reported
by the lookout, and the speed was reduced somewhat.

About this time the detective came out of his stateroom, and entered
that of Christy. He had smeared his face with a brownish tint, which
made him look as though he had been long exposed to the sun of the
tropics. He was dressed in a suit of coarse material, though it was not
the garb of a sailor. He had used the scissors on his long black
mustache, and given it a snarly and unkempt appearance. Christy would
not have known him if he had met him on shore.

"You look like another man," said he, laughing.

"A French detective has to learn the art of disguising himself; in fact,
he has to be an actor. Perhaps you will not be willing to believe it,
but I have played small parts at the Theatre Francais for over a year,
more to learn the actor's art of making himself up than because I had
any histrionic aspirations. I have worked up a case in the capacity of
an old man of eighty years of age," the detective explained. "When I
recovered the property of