the island on her way
north.

"That looks as if she came from Petit Gouve, or the bay of
Mitaquane, or that under the Bec de Marsouin," Frank said.

"Dat is it, sar," Dominique agreed. "If she want to go north side
of bay from Port au Prince, she would have gone either side of
island. I expect she lie under de Bec. Fine, safe place dat, no
town there, plenty of wood all round, and villages where she get
fruit and vegetables; sure to be little stream where she can get
water."

The watch was maintained until sunset, but, although a powerful
telescope had been brought up, no vessel at all corresponding to
the appearance of the brigantine was made out.

At six o'clock the next morning Frank was again at the lookout, and
scarcely had he turned his telescope to the south shore than he saw
the brigantine come out from behind the Bec de Marsouin and head
towards the west. The wind was blowing from that quarter, and after
a few minutes' deliberation, Frank told the men to follow him, and
dashed down the hill. In half an hour he reached the shore opposite
the yacht, and at his shout the dinghy, which was lying at her
stern, at once rowed ashore.

"Get up the anchor, captain, and make sail. I have seen her. She
has just come out from the Bec, and is making west. As the wind is
against her, it seems to me that he would never choose that
direction to cruise in unless he was starting for Cuba, and I dare
not let the opportunity slip. If he once gets clear away we may
have months of work before we find him again, and as the wind now
is, I am sure that we can overhaul him long before he can make
Cuba. Indeed, as we lie, we are nearer to that coast than he is,
and can certainly cut him off."

In five minutes the Osprey was under way, with all sail set. The
wind was nearly due west, and as Cuba lay to the north of that
point, she had an advantage that quite counter-balanced that gained
by the start the Phantom had obtained. In two hours the lookout at
the head of the mast shouted down that he could perceive the
brigantine's topsail.

"She is sailing in towards the land on that side," he said. "She
has evidently made a tack out, and is now on the starboard tack
again."

"It will be a long leg and a short one with her, sir," the skipper
said. "I think that if we were in her place we could just manage to
lay our course along the coast, but with those square yards of
hers, she cannot go as close to the wind as we can. As it is,