d motor boat had
glided almost silently out of Bellport, a fishing village on the coast,
and, waiting till darkness had descended, made at top speed for the
vicinity of the submarine island.

The men who had chartered the craft were two in number. Both were
strangers in Bellport, having driven over there that afternoon from the
adjacent railway station of Farmington. One was an old man,
stoop-shouldered and bleary-eyed. The other was an individual of about
thirty, tall, emaciated, and with a wild light dancing in his crafty
eyes, which darted back and forth as if constantly on the lookout for
something.

Going directly to the Bellport Hotel, they had inquired of Enos
Hardcastle, the proprietor, where they could hire a motor boat.

"A fast one?" croaked the old man.

"The faster the better," supplemented his companion, in a queer, rasping
voice.

Enos scratched his head.

"Wa'al, motor boat's is scarce around here, though some of ther boys
uses 'em in fishing," he said finally.

"Good!" exclaimed the younger of the pair of strangers. "Direct us to
the man who has the fastest one."

"That's Lem Higgins; but Lem drives a hard bargain. It'll cost ye----"

"Never mind the cost; never mind the cost," croaked the old man
impatiently. "Come, Ivan, let's find this Higgins."

"You go ter ther foot of this street and you'll find Lem down on ther
wharf," directed the landlord of the Bellport Hotel, whose curiosity was
by this time aroused. There was something odd about the two strangers,
almost as odd as the large black bag the younger one carried. This
receptacle he held as gingerly as if it contained some article of the
most fragile description.

"Beg pardon, strangers," spoke up Enos, "but what might you be after
havin' in that bag?"

The slender man turned a pair of blazing orbs on him.

"What business is that of yours?" he snapped out, his queer eyes
appearing to emit sparks of malignant fury.

Enos hastened to extend the olive branch.

"Oh, no harm, no harm," he hurriedly exclaimed. "I thought thet you two
might be sellin' suthin' the wife 'ud have a use fer, thet's all. Wanted
to give you a chancet ter drive a trade."

"I reckon your wife wouldn't care much for what's in this bag," snarled
the old man viciously; "and let me give you a bit of advice, my friend:
Don't ask questions and you'll be told no lies."

So saying, the two oddly assorted strangers made off down the street,
the tall one still carry