ntly a gun was heard
from the direction in which she lay, though the captain was unable to
decide what it meant. It might be a signal of distress, but the man on
the yard had not reported the colors as union down; and it might be
simply a defiance. It was probable that the Scotian and Arran had put
in at St. George, and it was more than possible that they had shipped
a reinforcement to her reported small crew.

"Aloft!" called the captain again.

"On the bridge, sir!" replied the lookout.

"Is the steamer under way?"

"I think not, sir; but I can't make out her wake, it is so low."

"Starboard a little, quartermaster."

"Starboard, sir."

Christy heard, or thought he heard, for he was not sure about it, the
sound of a bell. A minute later the quartermaster in the pilot house
struck seven bells, which was repeated on the top-gallant forecastle of
the Bronx, and he was confident this was what he had heard on board of
the stranger.

"Quartermaster, strike one bell," he added.

"One bell, sir;" and the gong resounded from the engine room, and the
speed of the Bronx was immediately reduced.

A minute later Christy obtained a full view of the steamer. She was
headed to the southwest, and her propeller was not in motion. As the
lookout had reported, she was the counterpart of the Bronx, though she
was a larger vessel. He gave some further orders to the quartermaster at
the wheel, for he had decided to board the steamer on her port side. The
boarders had been concealed in proper places under this arrangement, and
the captain had directed the course of the Bronx so that a shot from her
could hardly do any harm, if she took it into her head to fire one.

"Arran, ahoy!" shouted a hoarse voice through a speaking trumpet from
the steamer.

"On board the Scotian!" replied Christy through his trumpet.

After the vessel had hailed the Arran, the captain had no difficulty
in deciding that the other craft was the Scotian; and he was especially
glad that the officer of that vessel had hailed him in this particular
form. The single word spoken through that trumpet was the key to the
entire enigma. Every possible doubt was removed by it. He was now
assured, as he had not been before, that he had fallen in with one of
the two vessels of which his father had given him information, and which
his sealed orders required him to seek, even if he was detained a week
or more. Christy spent no time in congratulating himself on the
si