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That there were excellent grounds for Theriere's belief that he could win Barbara Harding's hand with such a flying start as his daring plan would have assured him may not be questioned, for the ood-looking The title that he had borne upon the occasion of his visit to the yacht, was, all unknown to his acco other than a long-dead scandal in the French Navy that ht have proved a bar to an affiance such as he dreamed of And now to be thwarted at the lastof a Ward had sealed his own death warrant, of that Theriere was convinced

The boats were now quite close to the yacht, which had slowed down almost to a dead stop In answer to the query of the Lotus' captain Skipper Si their trouble

"I'antine Clarinda, Frisco to Yokohama with dynamite We disabled our rudder yesterday, an' this afternoon fire started in the hold It's makin' headway fast now, an'll reach the dynaet away from here as quick as you can 'Tain't safe nowhere within five hun'erd fathom of her"

"You'd better

"I don't like the looks of things, sir," replied that officer "She ain't flyin' any dyna, an' if she was an' had a hold full there wouldn't be any particular danger to us, an' anyone that has ever shipped dynaht to It's not fire that detonates dyna queer here--I don't like the looks of it Why just take a good look at the faces of thosemurderers in your life, sir?"

"Icrowd, Norris," replied Mr Harding "But it's not always either fair or safe to judge strangers entirely by appearances I' else for it in the name of common humanity than to take theroundless"

"Then it's your orders, sir, to take them aboard?" asked Captain Norris

"Yes, Captain, I think you'd better," said Mr Harding

"Very good, sir," replied the officer, turning to give the necessary commands

The officers and men of the Halfed, fierce, and forbidding