ight and wiping
his mouth with the back of his huge hand. "But wait! I almost fergot
this!"

He unpinned the pocket of his waistcoat and drew forth the flimsy
sheet of paper that he had picked up when Templeton had mistakenly
tried to serve him.

Briefly he told the skipper its history and handed it to him.
Schofield's eyes opened wide as he saw that the paper was that of the
Dominion Cable office in Freekirk Head, and he read:

"To A. TEMPLETON,
"Marine Insurance Company,
"St. John's, N.B.

"Come at once with summons for Cody Albert Schofield and
attachment for schooner Charming Lass, as per former arrangements.

"BURNETT."

For a moment the signature puzzled him, and Ellinwood, grinning, stood
watching his puzzled efforts to solve it.

"Skipper, if it was a mule it would kick you in the face," he
remarked. "If you can't see Nat Burns in that, I can. And now you've
got an idea just who's at the bottom of this thing."

Code Schofield went aft to his cabin companionway, and prepared to go
below and open his log. Kent took the wheel, and Ellinwood lurched
about with a critical eye upon the lashings, sheets, and general
appearance of the deck.

Schofield, remembering the schooner that had attracted his eye before,
looked astern for her. She had gained rapidly upon them in the
half-hour he had been below. Now he could see her graceful black hull,
the shadows in the great sails, and the tiny men here and there upon
her deck.

"What a sailer!" he cried in involuntary admiration. "She must be an
American!"

It was clear that the other schooner, even in that moderate breeze,
must be making the better side of twelve knots. Schofield gave her a
final admiring glance and went below.

CHAPTER X

A MYSTERY

"AUGUST 29:

"Clear. Wind W.S.W., canting to W. Moderate breeze. Knots logged to
twelve, noon, 153. Position, 20 miles south, a little east of Cape
Sable. End of this day."

Code closed the dirty and thumb-worn, paper-covered ledger that was
the log of the Charming Lass and had been the log of the old May
Schofield for ten years before she went down. It was the one thing he
had saved. He had been on deck, taken his sextant observation, and
just completed working out his position.

As he closed the old log his eye was caught by a crudely penned name
near the bottom of the paper cover. The signature was Nellie Tanner's,
and