his mind, he had almost instantly rejected
it. Chinatown was his aim; once there and under the protection of his
Tong, Hoang knew that he was safe. He knew the hiding-places that the
See Yup Association provided for its members--hiding places whose very
existence was unknown to the police of the White Devil.

No one interrupted--no one even noticed--his passage to the station. At
best, it was nothing more than a coolie carrying a couple of gunny-sacks
across his shoulder. Two hours later, Hoang was lost in San Francisco's
Chinatown.

*****

At the sight of the schooner sweeping out to sea, Wilbur was for an
instant smitten rigid. What had happened? Where was Moran? Why was there
nobody on board? A swift, sharp sense of some unnamed calamity leaped
suddenly at his throat. Then he was aware of a crattering of hoofs along
the road that led to the fort. Hodgson threw himself from one of the
horses that were used in handling the surf-boat, and ran to him hatless
and panting.

"My God!" he shouted. "Look, your schooner, do you see her? She broke
away after I'd started to tell you--to tell you--to tell you--your girl
there on board--It was horrible!"

"Is she all right?" cried Wilbur, at top voice, for the clamor of the
gale was increasing every second.

"All right! No; they've killed her--somebody--the coolies, I
think--knifed her! I went out to ask you people to come into the station
to have supper with me--"

"Killed her--killed her! Who? I don't believe you--"

"Wait--to have supper with me, and I found her there on the cabin floor.
She was still breathing. I carried her up on deck--there was nobody else
aboard. I carried her up and laid her on the deck--and she died there.
Just now I came after you to tell you, and--"

"Good God Almighty, man! who killed her? Where is she? Oh--but of course
it isn't true! How did you know? Moran killed! Moran killed!"

"And the schooner broke away after I started!"

"Moran killed! But--but--she's not dead yet; we'll have to see--"

"She died on the deck; I brought her up and laid her on--"

"How do you know she's dead? Where is she? Come on, we'll go right back
to her--to the station!"

"She's on board--out there!"

"Where--where is she? My God, man, tell me where she is!"

"Out there aboard the schooner. I brought her up on deck--I left her on
the schooner--on the deck--she was stabbed in the throat--and then came
after you to tell you. Then the schooner broke away w