here this
afternoon, but there is no reason why Carthew should not have
chartered a yacht for the purpose. Ask the skipper to come aft."

"Captain," he said, when Hawkins came aft, "what men went ashore
this afternoon?"

"Harris and Williams and Marvel, sir. They went ashore in the
dinghy, and Harris went to the doctor's for that medicine."

"Ask them to come here."

"Did anyone speak to you, Harris," he went on, as the three men
came aft, "while you were ashore today?--I mean anyone that you did
not know."

"No, sir," the man said, promptly. "Leastwise, the only chap that
spoke to me was a gent as was standing on the steps by the watch
house as I went down to the boat, and he only says to me, 'I
noticed you go in to Dr. Maddison's, my man. There is nothing the
matter with my friend, Major Mallett, I hope.'

"'No, sir,' says I, 'he is all right. I was just getting a bottle
of medicine for an old lady on board.'

"That was all that passed between us."

"Thank you, Harris. That is just what I wanted to know."

After the men had gone forward again, he said to the captain:

"I have a strong conviction, Hawkins, indeed I am almost certain,
that Miss Greendale has been carried off to one of the yachts here,
but whether it is a large one or a small one I have not the
slightest idea. The question is, what is to be done? It is past
eleven now, and it is impossible to go round the fleet and make
enquiries. Besides, the craft may have made off already. They would
have been sure to have placed her in the outside tier, so as to get
up anchor as soon as they had Miss Greendale on board."

"We might get out the boats, sir, and lie off and see if any yachts
set sail," the skipper suggested.

"That would be of no use, Hawkins. You could not stop them. Even if
you hailed to know what yacht it was, they might give you a false
name.

"One thing I have been thinking of that can be done. I wish, in the
first place, that you would ask all the men if anyone has noticed
among the yacht sailors in the streets one with the name of the
Phantom on his jersey. Some of them may have been paid off, for she
has not been raced since Ryde. In any case, I want two of the men
to go ashore, the first thing in the morning, and hang about all
day, if necessary, in hopes of finding one of the Phantom's crew.
If they do find one, bring him off at once, and tell him that he
will be well paid for his trouble.

"By the way, you may as well ask