cal deference.

"Carry on!" snarled the captain, and he forthwith disappeared.

Two hours afterward Hugh Maclean knocked at the door of the captain's
cabin, and was hoarsely bidden enter. Captain Brandon was seated before
a bottle of whisky, which was scarce half full.

"Have a nip?" he hospitably inquired.

Maclean nodded, and half filled a glass.

"Thank you, sir. Queer thing's happened," he observed, as he wiped his
lips. "The Russian----"

"I know," interrupted the captain. "I've been watching her through the
port. She's the _Saigon's_ twin-sister ship, that was the _Saragossa_
which old Kep sold to Baron Dabchowski six months ago. Much good it
would have done us to run. She has the heels of us. Old Kep had just put
new triple-expansion engines into her before she changed hands. But
they've killed the look of her, converting her into a cruiser. She's
nothing but a floating scrap-heap now."

"But she has six guns," observed Maclean. "Don't you think you'd better
come up, sir? She is almost near enough to signal."

"Well, well," said the captain, and putting away the whisky bottle, he
led the way to the bridge.

Some half-dozen miles away, steaming at an angle to meet the _Saigon_ at
a destined point, there plowed through the sea a large iron steamer of
about three thousand tons' burden. She exactly resembled the _Saigon_ in
all main points of build, and except for the fact that two guns were
mounted fore and aft on her main deck above the line of steel bulwarks,
and that her masts were fitted with small fighting tops, she might very
well have passed for an ordinary merchantman.

For twenty minutes or thereabouts the two officers watched her in
silence, taking turn about with the binoculars; then, quite suddenly,
the vessel, now less than two miles distant, luffed and fell slightly
away from her course.

"She is going to speak," said Captain Brandon, who held the glasses.
"Look out!"

Maclean smiled at the caution; but next instant a bright flash quivered
from the other vessel's side, and involuntarily he ducked his head, for
something flew dipping and shrieking over the _Saigon_. In the following
second there was heard the clap of the distant cannon and the splash of
a shell striking the sea close at hand. Invisible hands unfolded and
shook out three balls of bunting at the truck of the war-ship's signal
boom. They fluttered for awhile, and then spread out to the breeze. The
arms of Russia surmounted t