Walthew and one of the seamen set out a meal on deck and when it was eaten they lounged on the stern grating, smoking and waiting. There was dangerous work before them; and, to make things worse, it must be done in the dark, because the moon now shone in the daytime. It was very hot, and a steamy, spicy smell drifted off the coast, which grew less distinct as the darkness settled down. A faint rumble of surf reached them from an unseen beach, rising and falling with a[Pg 68] rhythm in it. The black smoke had been stopped and thin gray vapor rose straight up from the funnel. The quietness and the suspense began to react upon the men's nerves; they felt impatient and highly strung, but they talked as carelessly as they could. [Pg 68] Then in the quietness the roar of the sea on sandy shoals reached them ominously clear. Grahame glanced shoreward, but could see nothing, for the sun had gone and a thin mist was spreading across the low littoral. "We're drifting inshore," he said. "As soon as I get four fathoms we'll steam out. Try a cast of the lead." Walthew swung the plummet and they heard it strike the sea. "Half a fathom to the good," he called as he coiled up the wet line. Then he stopped, looking toward the land. "What's that?" he said. "Yonder, abreast of the mast?" A twinkling light appeared in the mist and grew brighter. "A fire, I think," Grahame answered quietly. "Still, one's not enough." A second light began to glimmer, and soon another farther on. Macallister chuckled. "Ye're a navigator. Our friends are ready. I've seen many a worse landfall made by highly-trained gentlemen with a big mail company's buttons." "A lucky shot; but you had better stand by below. Start her easy." He blew three blasts on the whistle, and the fires went out while the Enchantress moved slowly shore[Pg 69]ward through the gloom. Miguel held the wheel and Grahame stood near by, watching the half-breed who swung the lead. Presently another light twinkled, and, listening hard, Grahame heard the splash of paddles. Stopping the engines, he waited until a low, gray object crept out of the
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