and legs, made him fast to a stanchion.

'I hope he won't die,' said Nella. 'He looks very white.'

'The Mr Jacksons of this world,' said Prince Aribert sententiously,
'never die till they are hung. By the way, I wonder how it is that no
one has interfered with us. Perhaps they are discreetly afraid of my
revolver--of your revolver, I mean.'

Both he and Nella glanced up at the imperturbable steersman, who kept
the yacht's head straight out to sea. By this time they were about a
couple of miles from the Belgian shore.

Addressing him in French, the Prince ordered the sailor to put the yacht
about, and make again for Ostend Harbour, but the fellow took no notice
whatever of the summons. The Prince raised the revolver, with the idea
of frightening the steersman, and then the man began to talk rapidly
in a mixture of French and Flemish. He said that he had received Jules'
strict orders not to interfere in any way, no matter what might happen
on the deck of the yacht. He was the captain of the yacht, and he had to
make for a certain English port, the name of which he could not
divulge: he was to keep the vessel at full steam ahead under any and
all circumstances. He seemed to be a very big, a very strong, and a very
determined man, and the Prince was at a loss what course of action to
pursue. He asked several more questions, but the only effect of them was
to render the man taciturn and ill-humoured.

In vain Prince Aribert explained that Miss Nella Racksole, daughter of
millionaire Racksole, had been abducted by Mr Tom Jackson; in vain he
flourished the revolver threateningly; the surly but courageous captain
said merely that that had nothing to do with him; he had instructions,
and he should carry them out. He sarcastically begged to remind his
interlocutor that he was the captain of the yacht.

'It won't do to shoot him, I suppose,' said the Prince to Nella. 'I
might bore a hole into his leg, or something of that kind.'

'It's rather risky, and rather hard on the poor captain, with his
extraordinary sense of duty,' said Nella. 'And, besides, the whole crew
might turn on us. No, we must think of something else.'

'I wonder where the crew is,' said the Prince.

Just then Mr Jackson, prone and bound on the deck, showed signs of
recovering from his swoon. His eyes opened, and he gazed vacantly
around. At length he caught sight of the Prince, who approached him with
the revolver well in view.

'It's you, is it?' h