lamations, and they assembled in
ever increasing groups upon the sands. One ran to the public house and
brought back to the throng a greasy proclamation, upon which the picture
of a vessel was stamped.

Upon the cliffs, red-coats pointed to the stranger, and shook their
heads ominously.

Before the "Lightning" had dropped her anchor, the whole population of
Penzance was out, gesticulating, pointing, execrating.

"That's she, sure enough. That's her sheer in the pictur'. Them's the
di-mensions given. Blast the pirates! Old England hain't no place for
them."

"'Ere, Bill! you get the Colonel down. We'll send 'em buzzin' to Davy
Jones' locker if they ventur' ashore here!"

The "Lightning" had come to anchor without colors at her stern. As she
had no mast, there was no opportunity to fly a signal at her head, or
the Union Jack at her peak. After the manner of steam yachts she had a
pole that could be fitted in a raking position aft.

"As it isn't eight bells, we need no flags," explained Colonel Odminton.

"Shall we fly the Union Jack, then?" asked Captain Hans Christian.

The Colonel changed color. "Fly?" he snarled, "By ----! Fly nothing!"

The men on board had noticed the confusion on the shore. They thought
little of it.

When they had escaped down the Potomac with the ransom, they forgot that
a hundred cameras were trained upon them. Even their stupendous speed
could not outstride the sensitive plate that can catch a perfect
likeness in one two-thousandth part of a second. The duplex shutter is
craftier than the criminal. The camera can outwit the cannon ball.

It did not occur to the Colonel that the United States Government would
send proclamations to every friendly nation in the world, begging each
to distribute them broadcast to every port; and that these contained a
reproduced picture of Colonel Odminton's venture, with a description of
himself; calling upon the nations to do him no harm, but to grant him no
hospitality whatever. While the Colonel was dawdling across the water,
the telegraph and the swift "Liners," had alarmed the world.

There was neither admiration nor mercy in the hearts of the millions who
were watching for the "Lightning's" appearance. For once, there were no
sentimental women waiting to cosset the bandit. He had held the
President's wife his prisoner. At last the soft heart of womanhood was
turned to stone.

In short, Colonel Odminton and his crew were declared outcasts from t