but one thing to do: take no chances. To the southwest, twelve or thirteen hundred miles away, lay the Ratack Chain of the Marshall group, with the Marianas impinging on its western axis. Under the drive of the trades, sailing before the wind, the boat, with driving, should make between one hundred and one hundred and twenty miles a day; and twelve days of such sailing meant land underfoot and—life! His heart throbbed at the thought. It meant life for her—his gold woman—and suddenly he realized that all his thoughts were of Emily Granville.

With a skillful sweep of the oar he brought the boat round and put her before the wind. By the flash of the electric torch he laid the course southwest. The craft instantly did better and surprised him into speaking aloud, as boats do surprise men:

"This is your best sailing point, old girl."

In the silence that followed he became conscious of somebody moving in the boat. There was a low murmur of voices. It made him uneasy until he located it finally in the space between the second and third thwarts which he had assigned to the women. He had partitioned it off with a steamer rug which Chang had taken away from Rowgowskii. A hand pushed back a flap of the rug and Emily Granville crawled out and stood up timidly.

Lavelle flashed the torch in the bottom of the boat and she came toward him uncertainly. He became conscious for the first time of the poverty of her dress as he saw her ankles gleaming in the light. She was not wearing the long tan coat now. A golfing jacket and a short black skirt, which it had covered during the day, composed her attire as she revealed herself in the torch's gleam.

"Do you mind if—if I come out here with you?" she whispered timidly.

"Certainly not," he whispered back, moving further aft to make room for her and sure that she must be able to hear the pounding throb of his pulse.

"I have been awake for hours."

"You should make an effort—try to get all the sleep possible. It brings strength and—forgetfulness, too."

"Not always, but—I came—I thought you should know that Mrs. Moore seems very ill."

"There is something I can do for her?"

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