was I fairly adrift than I saw you put over in
my direction, and thinking Jeremy might be aboard, I gave him our old
signal. It worked, and here I am safe enough. But meanwhile those devils
have got off into the mist, and it'll be hard to follow them."

Job sat thoughtful, pulling at his pipe. He seemed to be cogitating some
of the points in Bob's narrative, and the others kept silent, unwilling
to interrupt him. At length he blew a great cloud of blue smoke toward
the deck-beams above and turning to the boy, asked, "Did Daggs or any of
the rest ever speak of the place where they were going?"

"They never talked about it openly," Bob replied, "but from words
dropped now and then by the mulatto mate I figured they were heading
down for the Spanish Islands. I don't think they intend putting in
anywhere first, unless they land for water in one of those out of the
way inlets along the Jersey coast."

Job nodded. "That's about as I thought," he answered. "So we'll hold on
this tack till nightfall--we're just off the Kennebec, now--and then
we'll run sou'-sou'east before the wind, to clear Cape Cod. Daggs--if he
figgers as I would in his place--won't start to leeward right away, for
he'd rather have us in front of him than behind. And unless I'm much
mistaken he's in too much of a hurry to waste time in doubling back up
the coast. All right Bob, lad, you'll be wanting sleep now, so we'll
leave you. On deck with you, boys!"

And tucking the blankets about the drowsy youngster in the bunk, Job led
the way to the companion.

CHAPTER XXXIV

The mist was sweeping past in swirls and streaks, and though the wind
had abated somewhat, the _Tiger_ still ploughed along into the obscurity
at a fair rate of speed. Jeremy stayed forward with the lookout, peering
constantly into the gloom ahead, and half expecting to see the ghostlike
sails of the _Revenge_ whenever for a moment a gray aisle opened in the
mist. But there were only the grim, uneasy seas and the shifting fog.

Before darkness fell Job shortened sail, for he did not wish to get too
far ahead of the enemy. And about the end of the second dog watch he
gave the order to slack sheets and fall away for the southward run.

The wind turned bitterly cold in the night, and when the watch was
changed Tom and Jeremy staggered below, glad to escape from the stinging
snow that filled the air.

But with that snow-flurry the weather cleared. The sun rose to a day of
bright