lready changed
our course, and were swinging round in a half-circle, preparatory to
heading back down stream. The smashed remains of the two boats were
bobbing about behind us, and in the midst of them I could make out the
figures of the coast-guards, clinging affectionately to various bits
of wreckage.

Besides myself, there were three other men in the launch. Dr.
McMurtrie was sitting on the seat just opposite, pouring out the
contents of a flask into a small metal cup. Against the cabin door
leaned Savaroff, eyeing me with his usual expression of hostile
mistrust. The third passenger was the man with the auburn beard, whom
I had seen in the launch on the day I picked up Mr. Gow. He was busy
with the tiller, and for the moment was paying scant attention to any
of us.

McMurtrie got up with the cup in his hand and came across to where I
was sitting.

"Drink this," he said.

"This," proved to be some excellent old brandy, which I tossed off
with no little gratitude. It was exactly what I wanted to pull me
together.

"Are you hurt?" he asked.

I felt myself carefully before replying. "I'm all right now," I said.
"I got rather a crack in the ribs, but I don't think anything's gone."

"We seem to have arrived just in time to prevent your arrest," he
said quietly. "Perhaps you will be good enough to explain what has
happened? At present we are rather in the dark."

He spoke with his usual suavity, but there was a veiled menace in his
voice which it was impossible to overlook. Savaroff scowled at me more
truculently than ever. It was obvious that both of them were entirely
ignorant of Sonia's part in the affair, and suspected me of some
extraordinary bit of clumsiness. I prepared myself for some heavy
lying.

"I know precious little more about it than you do," I said coolly. "I
was getting things ready for you this morning, when I happened to look
out of the window, and saw three men crawling towards the hut on their
hands and knees. As one of them was wearing a policeman's uniform, I
thought I had better cut and run. Well, I cut and ran. I made for the
creek because I thought you might be there. You weren't; but there was
a dinghy on the shore, which I suppose belonged to a small yacht
that was anchored out in the channel. Anyhow, I took the liberty of
borrowing it. I meant to row out into the river, and try to pick you
up before they could get hold of a boat and follow me. If it hadn't
been for these infernal