already have a badly injured man in my
boat, sir; and that native cannot possibly live many hours longer."

Hendry made no answer, but gave the officer one of his shifty, sullen
glances as the dying man was lifted out and put into Oliver's boat.
Then he asked Oliver if the ship's papers, chronometer, charts, and his
(Hendry's) nautical instruments had been saved.

"Here they are," and all that he had asked for was passed over to him by
Harvey.

"Did you save any firearms?" was Hendry's next question.

"Yes," replied Harvey; "two Winchesters, a Snider carbine, and all the
cartridges we could find in your cabin."

"Give them to me, then," said Hendry.

Harvey passed them over to the captain, together with some hundreds of
cartridges tied up in a handkerchief. Hendry and Chard took them with
ill-concealed satisfaction, little knowing that Harvey had carefully
hidden away the remainder of the firearms in Atkins's boat, and
therefore did not much mind obeying Hendry's demand.

When Hendry next spoke he did so in a sullenly, authoritative manner.

"Miss Remington, you and your servant must come into my boat. Mr.
Morrison, you and the second engineer can take their places in the
mate's boat."

The two engineers at once, at a meaning glance from Oliver, stepped out
of the captain's boat, and took their seats in that of the mate. Neither
Tessa nor Maoni moved.

"Make haste, please, Miss Remington," said Hendry, not looking at her as
he spoke, but straight before him.

"I prefer to remain in Mr. Atkins's boat," replied Tessa decisively.

"And I tell you that you must come with me," said the captain, with
subdued fury. "Mr. Atkins has no compass, and I am responsible for your
safety."

"Thank you, Captain Hendry," was the mocking reply, "I relieve you of
all responsibility for my safety. And I absolutely refuse to leave Mr.
Atkins, except to go with Mr. Oliver."

For a moment Hendry was unable to speak through passion, for he had
determined that Tessa should come with them. Then he addressed the
second mate. "Mr. Atkins, I order you to come alongside and put Miss
Remington and that native girl into my boat."

"You can go to hell, you Dutch hog!" was the laconic rejoinder from
Atkins, as he leant upon his steer-oar and surveyed the captain and
Chard with an air of studied insolence. "I'll take no orders from a swab
like you. If Miss Remington wants to stay in my boat she _shall_ stay."
Then turning to Tessa he sa