ing.

His first inquiry on awaking was for the pinnace. She had not returned,
nor had Green made his appearance. He naturally became more anxious
than ever; something serious, he feared, must have happened to the
midshipmen, or they would not have failed to have reached the island by
that time.

He was on the point of despatching another boat, when the look-out man
from the signal-station reported that a dhow was in sight coming across
from the mainland. Her arrival was eagerly looked for. There could be
no doubt that she was a prize made by Green. This was ascertained
positively to be the case, and in about an hour she came to an anchor
off the island, having Green's boat astern. The two remaining boats at
once put off, Adair going in one of them, accompanied by Pango (Bango
had gone with Green to act as his interpreter).

"Why," exclaimed Adair, as he drew near the dhow, "she's the very vessel
we captured! and has, I hope, the midshipmen and the rest of the boat's
crew on board."

Green hailed them from the deck as they approached. "Glad of your
assistance," he said, "for I've got a pretty shipload of scoundrels, who
gave us a tough job to take them."

These words made Adair feel more anxious than ever. He recognised the
Arab skipper and Mustapha Longchops on deck, but neither of the
midshipmen nor any of the men. He was quickly on deck and shaking hands
with Green, though the dreadful feeling which oppressed him prevented
him for some moments from speaking.

"Where are the midshipmen, Desmond and Gordon," he asked, "and the men I
left on board this vessel?"

"You left?" exclaimed Green; "why, I only captured her last night, and
had no notion that she had ever been in our hands before, except, by the
bye, that Bango has tried to make me understand something which he had
heard, though I confess I couldn't exactly comprehend his meaning."

"The night before last I left the midshipmen safe and sound, with four
hands and a canoe towing astern," said Adair; "the canoe, I see, is
gone, but they would certainly not have deserted the vessel. We must
seize these scoundrels, the skipper and that black fellow, with the rest
of the Arabs, at once, for I very much fear they have been guilty of
some foul play."

Calling more of his men on board, Adair ordered them to handcuff the
whole of the party. The Arabs looked somewhat alarmed, their skipper
very much so. "What have you done with my officers and men?" a