e driven thirty miles an hour through the
water, and if this was one of them, capture was only a matter of
time, unless the air-ship sighted them and came to the rescue.

Happily, although there was a considerable swell on, the water was
smooth and free from short waves, and this was to the advantage of
the _Lurline_; for she went along "as dry as a bone," while the
torpedo-boat, lying much lower in the water, rammed her nose into
every roller, and so lost a certain amount of way. The yacht was
making a good twenty-eight miles an hour under the heroic efforts of
the engineers; and at this rate it would be nearly two hours before
she was overhauled, provided that the torpedo-boat was not able to
use the gun that she carried forward of her funnels with any
dangerous effect.

There could now be no doubt as to the hostility of the pursuers. Had
they been British, they would have answered the flag flying at the
peak of the yacht.

"Steamer coming down from the nor'ard, sir!" suddenly sang out a man
whom Tremayne had just stationed in the fore cross-trees to look out
for the air-ship that was now so anxiously expected.

A dense volume of smoke was seen rising in the direction indicated,
and a few minutes later a second big steamer came into view, bearing
down directly on the yacht, and so approaching the torpedo-boat
almost stem on. There was no doubt about her nationality. A glance
through the glass showed Tremayne the white ensign floating above the
horizontal stream of smoke that stretched behind her. She was a
British cruiser, no doubt a scout of the Irish Squadron, and had
sighted the smoke of the yacht and her pursuers, and had come to
investigate.

Tremayne breathed more freely now, for he knew that his flag would
procure the assistance of the new-comer in case it was wanted, as
indeed it very soon was.

Hardly had the British cruiser come well in sight than a puff of
smoke rose from the deck of the other warship, and a shell came
whistling through the air, and burst within a hundred yards of the
_Lurline_. Twenty-four hours ago Tremayne had been one of the richest
men in England, and just now he would have willingly given all that
he had possessed to be twenty-five miles further to the
south-westward than he was.

Another shell from the Frenchman passed clear over the _Lurline_, and
plunged into the water and burst, throwing a cloud of spray high into
the air. Then came one from the torpedo-boat, but she was