e
yacht. This conclusion once arrived at, he "got a move on" and "humped
himself" (as he himself expressed it). The consequence was that--
Vansittart being a man of powerful influence--it was not long before the
admiral in command of the U.S. squadron stationed in the Pacific
received a communication from Washington, acquainting him with the most
recent and contemplated future movements of the _Stella Maris_, as
furnished by Mr Vansittart, coupled with the information that she was
overdue, and an instruction to dispatch a vessel in search of the
missing yacht. The result of this was the dramatic arrival of the U.S.
gunboat _Jefferson_ off our island at the psychological moment.

It appeared that she had already been engaged for nearly a month in a
systematic search for the yacht, during which she had picked up no less
than three of the bottles which we had dispatched from the reef,
containing our appeals for help, and had accordingly visited the scene
of the disaster, only to discover the sunken wreck of the yacht in the
lagoon. Surmising, or rather hoping that we might somehow have
contrived to effect our escape, the commander of the _Jefferson_, after
a careful study of the prevailing winds and currents in those waters,
had mapped out a definite plan, in pursuance of which, after
unsuccessful calls at a number of other islands, he had headed for the
one upon which we had found shelter. It had been sighted just before
dark, and the _Jefferson_ had headed for it at half speed, intending to
lay to in the offing upon arrival, and send a boat ashore in the
morning.

But when still some ten miles off the land a light--the light of the
savages' blazing faggots--had been seen; and, regarding this as a
possible signal, the command for full speed ahead had been rung down to
the engine room. When the _Jefferson_ arrived close under the cliffs
and the searchlight had been turned on, the fact that a fight of some
sort was in progress had become evident, and, making a shrewd guess at
the actual state of affairs, the _Jefferson_ had taken a hand, with the
result already recorded. By the aid of her searchlight and the sounding
lead, the gunboat then cautiously groped her way into the harbour and
came to an anchor about half a mile from the beach upon which lay the
four big war canoes and our apology for a boat. The sight of these not
only suggested to the astute commander that at last he had got upon our
track, but also con