hat
he was the fellow known as "Roaring John"--stood in the bows of the
launch, and appeared to be gesticulating wildly to the skipper of the
_Ocean King_, the nameless ship set up of a sudden a great shrieking
with her deck whistle, which she blew three times with terrific power;
and at the third sound of it the launch, which had been holding to the
side of the steamer, let go, running rapidly back to the armed vessel,
where it was taken aboard again.

The whole thing was done in so short a space of time that our men had
scarce an opportunity to express surprise when the launch was hanging
at the davits again. The great activity that we had observed on the
decks of the war-vessel ceased as mysteriously as it had begun. Again
there was no sign of living being about her; but she moved at once, and
bounded past us at a speed the like of which I had never seen upon the
deep.

So remarkable a face-about seemed to dumbfound our men. They stood
staring at each other like those amazed, and seeking explanation. But
the key to the riddle was given, not by one of them, but by Paolo, whom
I now found at my elbow, his usually placid face all aglow with
excitement.

"Ha!" he cried, "she's American!"

He made a wild point at the far horizon over our stern; and then I saw
what troubled him. There was a great white steamer coming up at a high
speed, and I knew the form of her at once, and of two others that
followed her. She was one of the American navy, crossing to her own
country from Europe, whither she had been to watch the British
manoeuvres. The secret of the flight was no longer inexplicable; the
yellow ship had fled from the trap into which she was so nearly
falling.

"You have sharp eyes, Paolo," said I; "I imagine it's lucky for the
pair of us."

He shrugged his shoulders angrily, and then said very meaningly--

"Perhaps."

I had no time to reckon with him, for I was as much absorbed as he was
in the scene which followed. The nameless ship, of a sudden, ceased her
flight, and came almost to a stand some half a mile away on our
port-bow. For a moment her purpose was hidden, yet only for a moment.
As she swung round to head the seas, I saw at once that another
cruiser, long and white, and seemingly well-armed had come up upon that
side, and now barred her passage. At last, she was to cope with one
worthy of her, and at the promise of battle, a hush, awful in its
intensity, fell upon all of us.

For some minutes th