was much to be pitied, alone, in the
circumstances, Mr. Macrae determined to send her and Bude on the yacht,
the _Flora Macdonald_, to cruise round the Butt of Lewis and examine the
islets. Both Bude and his wife were devoted to yachting, and the isles
might yield something in the way of natural history.

Next day (Wednesday) the Budes steamed away, and there came many answers
to the telegrams of Mr. Macrae, and one from Logan to Merton. Logan was
hard by, cruising with his cousin, Admiral Chirnside, at the naval
manoeuvres on the northeast coast. He would come to Inchnadampf at once.
Mr. Macrae heard from Gianesi and Giambresi. Gianesi himself was coming
with a fresh machine. Mr. Macrae wished it had been Giambresi, whom he
knew; Gianesi he had never met. Condolences, of course, poured in from
all quarters, even the most exalted. The Emperor of Germany was most
sympathetic. But there was no news of importance. Several yachting
parties had been suspected and examined; three young ladies at Oban,
Applecross, and Tobermory, had established their identity and proved that
they were not Miss Macrae.

All day the wireless machine was silent. Mr. Williams was shown all the
rooms in the castle, and met Blake, who appeared at luncheon. Blake was
most civil. He asked for a private interview with Mr. Macrae, who
inquired whether his school friend, Mr. Williams, might share it? Blake
was pleased to give them both all the information he had, though his
head, he admitted, still rang with the cowardly blow that had stunned
him. He was told of the discovery of the burned boat, and was asked
whether it had approached from east or west, from the side of the
Atlantic, or from the head of the sea loch.

'From Kinlocharty,' he said, 'from the head of the loch, the landward
side.' This agreed with the evidence of the villagers on the other side
of the sea loch.

Would he recognise the crew? He had only seen them at a certain
distance, when they landed, but in spite of the blow on his head he
remembered the black beard of one man, and the red beard of another. To
be sure they might shave off their beards, yet these two he thought he
could identify. Speaking to Miss Macrae as the men passed them, he had
called one Donald Dubh, or 'black,' and the other Donald Ban, or 'fair.'
They carried heavy shepherds' crooks in their hands. Their dress was
Lowland, but they wore unusually broad bonnets of the old sort, drooping
over t