ch littered it.
Apparently dissatisfied with the result, he moved it out bodily and
looked behind and beneath it. Coming to an erect position again he
suddenly became aware of the presence of his niece.

[Illustration: "He moved it out bodily and looked behind and beneath
it."]

"It's gone," he said, in an amazed voice.

"Gone?" repeated Prudence. "What has gone?"

"The map," said the captain, tumbling his beard. "I put it in this end
pigeon-hole the other night after showing it and I haven't touched it
since; and it's gone."

"But you burnt it!" said Prudence, with an astonished laugh.

The captain started. "No; I was going to," he said, eyeing her in
manifest confusion.

"But you said that you had," persisted his niece.

"Yes," stammered the captain, "I know I did, but I hadn't. I was just
looking ahead a bit, that was all. I went to the bureau just now to do
it."

Miss Drewitt eyed him with mild reproach. "You even described how you
did it," she said, slowly. "You said that Mount Lonesome turned into a
volcano. Wasn't it true?"

"Figure o' speech, my dear," said the unhappy captain; "I've got a
talent for description that runs away with me at times."

His niece gazed at him in perplexity.

"You know what Chalk is," said Captain Bowers, appealingly. "I was going
to do it yesterday, only I forgot it, and he would have gone down on his
knees for another sight of it. I don't like to seem disobliging to
friends, and it seemed to me a good way out of it. Chalk is so eager--
it's like refusing a child, and I hurt his feelings only the other day."

"Perhaps you burnt it after all and forgot it?" said Prudence.

For the first time in her knowledge of him the captain got irritable with
her. "I've not burnt it," he said, sharply. "Where's that Joseph? He
must know something about it!"

He moved to the foot of the staircase, but Miss Drewitt laid a detaining
hand on his arm.

"Joseph was in the room when you said that you had burnt it," she
exclaimed. "You can't contradict yourself like that before him.
Besides, I'm sure he has had nothing to do with it."

"Somebody's got it," grumbled her uncle, pausing.

He dropped into his chair and looked at her in consternation. "Good
heavens! Suppose they go after it," he said, in a choking voice.

"Well, it won't be your fault," said Prudence. "You haven't broken your
word intentionally."

But the captain paid no heed. He was staring wild-eye