to Billy Byrne the idea was to permit Mr. Harding
to believe that Theriere and his companions had been duped by Skipper
Simms--that they had had no idea of the work that they were to be called
upon to perform until the last moment and that then they had done the
only thing they could to protect the passengers and crew of the Lotus.

"And then," Theriere had concluded, "when they think we are a band of
heroes, and the best friends they have on earth we'll just naturally be
in a position to grab the whole lot of them, and collect ransoms on ten
or fifteen instead of just one."

"Bully!" exclaimed the mucker. "You sure got some bean, mate."

As a matter of fact Theriere had had no intention of carrying the matter
as far as he had intimated to Billy except as a last resort. He had been
mightily smitten by the face and fortune of Barbara Harding and had seen
in the trend of events a possible opportunity of so deeply obligating
her father and herself that when he paid court to her she might fall a
willing victim to his wiles. In this case he would be obliged to risk
nothing, and could make away with his accomplices by explaining to
Mr. Harding that he had been compelled to concoct this other scheme to
obtain their assistance against Simms and Ward; then they could throw
the three into irons and all would be lovely; but now that fool Ward
had upset the whole thing by hitting upon this asinine fire hoax as
an excuse for boarding the Lotus in force, and had further dampened
Theriere's pet scheme by suggesting to Skipper Simms the danger of
Theriere being recognized as they were boarding the Lotus and bringing
suspicion upon them all immediately.

They all knew that a pleasure yacht like the Lotus was well supplied
with small arms, and that at the first intimation of danger there would
be plenty of men aboard to repel assault, and, in all probability, with
entire success.

That there were excellent grounds for Theriere's belief that he could
win Barbara Harding's hand with such a flying start as his daring
plan would have assured him may not be questioned, for the man was
cultivated, polished and, in a sinister way, good-looking. The title
that he had borne upon the occasion of his visit to the yacht, was, all
unknown to his accomplices, his by right of birth, so that there was
nothing other than a long-dead scandal in the French Navy that might
have proved a bar to an affiance such as he dreamed of. And now to be
thwarted a