hat hooker yonder has
a third mast with a yawl-rig leg-o'-mutton sail."

Hal said nothing, but continued to study the stranger through his
night-glass.

"She is a queer-looking hooker," muttered Hastings. "Say, Eph, somehow
that boat doesn't look as though she was built to fit her own rig."

"Why not!" demanded Eph.

"Well, look at her length. Then take a peep at the height of her
dory-mast. Does it look tall enough for the length of the schooner?"

"I hadn't thought of that," admitted Somers, also taking a careful look
through the nightglass. "Jove, Hal, she is an odd-looking piece of
hulk."

Eph turned to pass the order to run in still closer to the schooner.

"What's wrong with her stern-hull?" asked Ensign Somers, three or four
minutes later.

"Looks like a patchwork affair," declared Hal, more interested than
ever.

"Has she a built-on stern?" demanded Somers, half a minute later.

"By Jove, I half believe she has. Eph, without that stern and the yawl
mast, would you say the craft looks like the 'Juanita'?"

"I believe she would," muttered young Somers, excitedly. "Marine
orderly!"

A sea-soldier came quickly up the bridge stairs, saluting.

"Mr. Somers's compliments to Mr. Fullerton, and will the executive
officer come to the bridge?"

Again saluting the marine vanished aft. It doesn't take a naval officer
long to report, even when he has to rouse himself out of a sound sleep
to do it.

Ensign Fullerton reached the bridge rubbing his eyes, but he listened
intently to what the two younger ensigns had to say.

"Marine orderly!" called the executive officer. "Mr. Fullerton's
compliments to the commanding officer, and will he come to the bridge?"

Barely a minute later, Jack Benson stood on the bridge, listening to his
subordinate officers and staring across the gap of water at the
unknown craft.

"Mr. Fullerton," directed the young commander, "prepare to fire a signal
shot and to lower the power launch. Make up the boarding party as usual.
Mr. Somers, you will go in command of the launch. And I will accompany
you this time. Mr. Fullerton, when I leave the bridge, you will assume
command."

Both officers, as they received their orders, saluted.

Bang! The signal gun barked out, the flash from the muzzle sending a
long tongue of red through the darkness.

But the stranger continued on her way through the night. Ensign
Fullerton regarded the young commanding officer of the gunboa