islands off the Cambodje shore," he went on.

"Maroon you! We are not living in a boy's adventure tale," I
protested. His scornfulwhispering took me up.

"We aren't indeed! There's nothing of a boy's tale in this. But
there's nothing else for it. I want no more. You don't suppose I

am afraid of what can be done to me? Prison or gallows or whatever
they may please. But you don't see me coming back to explain such

things to an old fellow in a wig and twelve respectable tradesmen,
do you? What can they know whether I am guilty or not - or of WHAT

I am guilty, either? That's my affair. What does the Bible say?
'Driven off the face of the earth.' Very well. I am off the face

of the earth now. As I came at night so I shall go."
"Impossible!" I murmured. "You can't."

"Can't? . . . Not naked like a soul on the Day of Judgment. I
shall freeze on to this sleeping-suit. The Last Day is not yet -

and you have understood thoroughly. Didn't you?"
I felt suddenly ashamed of myself. I may say truly that I

understood - and my hesitation in letting that man swim away from
my ship's side had been a mere sham sentiment, a sort of cowardice.

"It can't be done now till next night," I breathed out. "The ship
is on the off-shore tack and the wind may fail us."

"As long as I know that you understand," he whispered. "But of
course you do. It's a great satisfaction to have got somebody to

understand. You seem to have been there on purpose." And in the
same whisper, as if we two whenever we talked had to say things to

each other which were not fit for the world to hear, he added,
"It's very wonderful." We remained side by side talking in our

secret way - but sometimes silent or just exchanging a whispered
word or two at long intervals. And as usual he stared through the

port. A breath of wind came now and again into our faces. The
ship might have been moored in dock, so gently and on an even keel

she slipped through the water, that did not murmur even at our
passage, shadowy and silent like a phantom sea.

At midnight I went on deck, and to my mate's great surprise put the
ship round on the other tack. His terrible whiskers flitted round

me in silent criticism. I certainly should not have done it if it
had been only a question of getting out of that sleepy gulf as

quickly as possible. I believe he told the second mate, who
relieved him, that it was a great want of judgment. The other only

yawned. That intolerable cub shuffled about so sleepily and lolled
against the rails in such a slack, improper fashion that I came

down on him sharply.
"Aren't you properly awake yet?"

"Yes, sir! I am awake."
"Well, then, be good enough to hold yourself as if you were. And

keep a look-out. If there's any current we'll be closing with some
islands before daylight."

The east side of the gulf is fringed with islands, some solitary,
others in groups. On the blue background of the high coast they

seem to float on silvery patches of calm water, arid and grey, or
dark green and rounded like clumps of evergreen bushes, with the

larger ones, a mile or two long, showing the outlines of ridges,
ribs of grey rock under the dank mantle of matted leafage. Unknown

to trade, to travel, almost to geography, the manner of life they
harbour is an unsolved secret. There must be villages -

settlements of fishermen at least - on the largest of them, and
some communication with the world is probably kept up by native

craft. But all that forenoon, as we headed for them, fanned along
by the faintest of breezes, I saw no sign of man or canoe in the

field of the telescope I kept on pointing at the scattered group.
At noon I gave no orders for a change of course, and the mate's

whiskers became much concerned and seemed to be offering themselves
unduly to my notice. At last I said:

"I am going to stand right in. Quite in - as far as I can take
her."

The stare of extreme surprise imparted an air of ferocity also to
his eyes, and he looked truly terrific for a moment.

"We're not doing well in the middle of the gulf," I continued,
casually. "I am going to look for the land breezes to-night."

"Bless my soul! Do you mean, sir, in the dark amongst the lot of
all them islands and reefs and shoals?"

"Well - if there are any regular land breezes at all on this coast
one must get close inshore to find them, mustn't one?"

"Bless my soul!" he exclaimed again under his breath. All that
afternoon he wore a dreamy, contemplative appearance which in him

was a mark of perplexity. After dinner I went into my stateroom as
if I meant to take some rest. There we two bent our dark heads

over a half-unrolled chart lying on my bed.
"There," I said. "It's got to be Koh-ring. I've been looking at

it ever since sunrise. It has got two hills and a low point. It
must be inhabited. And on the coast opposite there is what looks

like the mouth of a biggish river - with some town, no doubt, not
far up. It's the best chance for you that I can see."

"Anything. Koh-ring let it be."
He looked thoughtfully at the chart as if surveying chances and

distances from a lofty height - and following with his eyes his own
figure wandering on the blank land of Cochin-China, and then

passing off that piece of paper clean out of sight into uncharted
regions. And it was as if the ship had two captains to plan her

course for her. I had been so worried and restlessrunning up and
down that I had not had the patience to dress that day. I had

remained in my sleeping-suit, with straw slippers and a soft floppy
hat. The closeness of the heat in the gulf had been most

oppressive, and the crew were used to see me wandering in that airy
attire.

"She will clear the south point as she heads now," I whispered into
his ear. "Goodness only knows when, though, but certainly after

dark. I'll edge her in to half a mile, as far as I may be able to
judge in the dark - "

"Be careful," he murmured, warningly - and I realised suddenly that
all my future, the only future for which I was fit, would perhaps

go irretrievably to pieces in any mishap to my first command.
I could not stop a moment longer in the room. I motioned him to

get out of sight and made my way on the poop. That unplayful cub
had the watch. I walked up and down for a while thinking things

out, then beckoned him over.
"Send a couple of hands to open the two quarterdeck ports," I said,

mildly.
He actually had the impudence, or else so forgot himself in his

wonder at such an incomprehensible order, as to repeat:
"Open the quarter-deck ports! What for, sir?"

"The only reason you need concern yourself about is because I tell
you to do so. Have them open wide and fastened properly."

He reddened and went off, but I believe made some jeering remark to
the carpenter as to the sensible practice of ventilating a ship's

quarter-deck. I know he popped into the mate's cabin to impart the
fact to him because the whiskers came on deck, as it were by

chance, and stole glances at me from below - for signs of lunacy or
drunkenness, I suppose.

A little before supper, feeling more restless than ever, I
rejoined, for a moment, my second self. And to find him sitting so

quietly was surprising, like something against nature, inhuman.
I developed my plan in a hurriedwhisper.

"I shall stand in as close as I dare and then put her round. I
shall presently find means to smuggle you out of here into the

sail-locker, which communicates with the lobby. But there is an
opening, a sort of square for hauling the sails out, which gives