they were in the pine forest. Presently they passed under
a girder bridge, carrying the railway from Bordeaux to Bayonne and the
south.

"We can't be far from the mill now," said Hilliard a little later. "I
reckoned it must be about three miles above the railway."

They were creeping up very slowly against the current. The engines,
running easily, were making only a subdued murmur inaudible at any
considerable distance. The stream here was narrow, not more than about a
hundred yards across, and the tall, straight-stemmed pines grew down
to the water's edge on either side. Already, though it was only seven
o'clock, it was growing dusk in the narrow channel, and Hilliard was
beginning to consider the question of moorings for the night.

"We'll go round that next bend," he decided, "and look for a place to
anchor."

Some five minutes later they steered close in against a rapidly shelving
bit of bank, and silently lowered the anchor some twenty feet from the
margin.

"Jove! I'm glad to have that anchor down," Hilliard remarked, stretching
himself. "Here's eight o'clock, and we've been at it since five this
morning. Let's have supper and a pipe, and then we'll discuss our
plans."

"And what are your plans?" Merriman asked, when an hour later they
were lying on their lockers, Hilliard with his pipe and Merriman with a
cigar.

"Tomorrow I thought of going up in the collapsible boat until I came to
the works, then landing on the other bank and watching what goes on at
the mill. I thought of taking my glass and keeping cover myself. After
what you said last night you probably won't care to come, and I was
going to suggest that if you cared to fish you would find everything you
wanted in that forward locker. In the evening we could meet here and I
would tell you if I saw anything INTERESTING."

Merriman took his cigar from his lips and sat up on the locker.

"Look here, old man," he said, "I'm sorry I was a bit ratty last night.
I don't know what came over me. I've been thinking of what you said,
and I agree that your view is the right one. I've decided that if you'll
have me, I'm in this thing until we're both satisfied there's nothing
going to hurt either Miss Coburn or our own country."

Hilliard sprang to his feet and held out his hand.

"Cheers!" he cried. "I'm jolly glad you feel that way. That's all I want
to do too. But I can't pretend my motives are altogether disinterested.
Just think of the kudos for us