asily. Consequently we should cover in ten
hours a distance which they would need twenty-five hours to traverse;
and, since they would probably not have more than nine hours' start of
us, we ought to catch them long before they could arrive at their
island.

It was about eight o'clock in the morning when we started, and the
moment that we were clear of the reef I bore up dead before the wind;
and thereafter all that was necessary was to keep the catamaran running
straight before it. We took it for granted that the fugitives, like
ourselves, would avail themselves of the direction of the wind as a
guide, consequently we assumed that they were somewhere--probably about
thirty-six miles--directly ahead of us when we bore away, and a very
simple calculation enabled us to determine that, if all our data
happened to be correct, we ought to overtake the canoe about two o'clock
in the afternoon. Therefore for the first four hours of our pursuit we
troubled ourselves only to maintain as straight a course as possible.
At the end of that time, however, or about midday--by which time our own
island was out of sight astern, while the other had not yet hove up
above the horizon--I deemed it advisable to take a look round.
Accordingly, turning over the steering paddle to Simpson, I shinned up
to the catamaran's masthead, and remained there for fully five minutes,
intently scrutinising the surface of the sea in every direction, my
range of vision at that elevation covering a circle of about nine miles
radius. But there was nothing in sight, at which I was in nowise
surprised, as I estimated that the canoe was still about twelve miles
ahead of us. I calculated, however, that we were gaining upon her at
the rate of about six miles an hour, in which case she ought to be on
the horizon's verge in the course of another half-hour; therefore at the
expiration of that time I again went aloft, and was just a trifle
disappointed to find the horizon still bare. However, I was quite
certain that a run of another half-hour would suffice to bring her into
view, therefore at one o'clock I again ascended to the masthead, quite
prepared to see her directly ahead. But again I was disappointed, for
the horizon was bare in every direction, save for the fact that, as
straight ahead of us as though we had seen and been steering for it all
the while, there was a delicate blue shape, which I instantly recognised
as the upper part of the island that we