apparently did very well. I'd like to have a few moments with the skipper of the Steephill Castle. The lying rogue is more than likely in league with these up-to-date pirates."

"Well, gentlemen," continued Fielding, turning to the officers of the Yosen Maru, "we had better be off, and try to overhaul the pirate vessel. We can do very little by way of assistance to your ship, I fear."

"Quite true," replied the spokesman. "The weather is moderate, and we have plenty of sea-room. Before they put our wireless out of gear we heard that the British cruiser Dionysius was coming to our aid, as well as the Red Star liner Scandinavia."

"Then you'll be well looked after," said the sub. And saluting the Japanese officers, he descended the accommodation ladder.

"Those rascals are not wanting in cool cheek,—holding the passengers as hostages, I suppose," commented Drake, when Fielding had made his report. "Well, I suppose we must call up Portsmouth, and inform the admiral of what has occurred. But there's nothing to prevent us overhauling the Impregnable. At all events I'll have a shot at it."

This was Drake's chief fault: he was overanxious to make an individual score. The glory of capturing the Impregnable was to be the Frome's, if possible. The idea of co-operation with the other British destroyers was distasteful to him. "Alone I did it" was to be his motto, the "I" including the officers and crew of the little craft under his command.

As fast as her three undamaged propellers could drive her the Frome tore in the direction the pirate cruiser was supposed to have taken. Eagerly glasses were brought to bear upon the horizon, in the hope of discerning a cloud of smoke—the oil-laden vapour from the Impregnable's liquid fuel.

At eight bells Fielding and Cardyke turned in for a well-earned rest but their sleep was soon to be rudely disturbed. Just before noon the slumbering officers were aroused by a messenger with the news that the Impregnable had been sighted.

"No mistake this time, I hope, sir?" asked the sub., as he swung himself up the bridge-ladder three steps at a time.

"That's the old Impregnable," asserted the lieutenant-commander, confidently. "The question is how the dickens are we to do the trick? We can't very well use the quick-firers, or we may bowl over some of the Japanese hostages. For the same reason we dare not let loose a torpedo."

"We can hail her, sir, and demand her surrender. If she refuses we must hang on, call up the other destroyers to our assistance, and take forcible possession of her."

"Do you think they'll open fire, sir?" asked Cardyke, eagerly.

"Hardly likely, you young fire-eater," replied Drake, with a grim smile. "They won't risk going so far. They know we have wireless; but if they thought they could do the trick without witnesses they wouldn't hesitate to try and sink us."

"They didn't sink the Yosen Maru."

"No; that strengthens my opinion that they won't go to extreme measures. There was none of the cut-throat, walk-the-plank style of the eighteenth-century pirate about them. No, I don't anticipate much difficulty but we'll be prepared."

An hour later the Frome was only a mile astern from her chase. The Impregnable's speed was visibly diminishing.

"They've a cool cheek, by Jove!" ejaculated Fielding. "They've actually painted another name on her."

"Yes," agreed Drake, who, like his subordinate, was making good use of his binoculars. "It's Independencia. That's Spanish, I believe."

"They're hoisting their colours," continued the sub. "A Brazilian ensign. Won't do, my hearties. You can't bluff us."

"She's slowed down, sir," exclaimed Cardyke. "Her propellers are going astern."

"What ship is that?" shouted Drake through a megaphone, as the Frome slowed down at cable's length on the Independencia's starboard quarter.

"Brazilian cruiser Independencia, from Cherbourg for Bahia Blanca," was the reply.

"A bit out of your course, old man," muttered Drake. "Stand by, we are sending a boat."

"For why? We want no communication."

"Then you'll have to want. If you give us any trouble we'll blow you out of the water," and the lieutenant pointed significantly towards the foremost torpedo-tube, around which its crew were standing ready to launch home the deadly weapon.

It was mere bluff on Drake's part. He dared not, as he had said, let loose a torpedo, and the weapon was only a practice one, its war-head being stowed away below. But to Drake's satisfaction the captain of the pirate-cruiser agreed to receive the boat.

"That's good!" ejaculated Drake. "Now, Fielding, off you go. Round up their gold-braided gentry and lock them up in the chart-room. Take possession of the bridge, and make them follow in our wake. They are only milk and water pirates, after all."

"Am I to take away the whaler, sir?" asked Cardyke.

"Very good. But when Mr. Fielding has taken the necessary steps to secure control over the prize, you will return—you understand? Good—now look alive, or we'll have someone else's finger in the pie." And Drake gave a hasty, comprehensive glance astern, heaving a sigh of relief that the horizon was unobscured. Here was the Frome's chance, he meant to make good use of it.

The mid. was wearing his dirk—the practically useless emblem of authority—and in addition he buckled on a holster containing a Service revolver. Both boats' crews, armed with rifles and bayonets—for the old British cutlass that worked such doughty deeds in days gone by is now a thing of the past—tumbled into the little craft as they lay alongside.

"Give way!" ordered Fielding, and the order was repeated by Cardyke in the whaler.

With less than a dozen yards separating the two boats the boarders pulled lustily towards the gigantic cruiser as she lay rising and falling slightly to the Channel rollers.

There was no accommodation ladder, that article having been unshipped before the vessel was put up for sale, so Fielding's boat ran alongside the starboard quarter, where a number of "chocks" afforded a rough and ready sort of ladder. The bow-man laid hold of a torpedo-boom bracket with his boathook, and the sub. prepared to ascend, Cardyke's craft lying just astern.

On the Independencia's deck no one was visible save a quartermaster who was leaning over the stanchion-rails. Having no man-ropes to assist him, Fielding's task was an awkward, not to say dangerous, one. He was half-way up the thirty-odd feet of freeboard, with a couple of bluejackets at his heels, when a noose rope was adroitly thrown over his shoulders, and jerked tight. Simultaneously a lariat descended into the whaler, caught Cardyke round the waist, and before any of his men could prevent it, the mid. was jerked up into the air.

With a crash two pieces of iron were dropped into the boats, staving out their garboards.

The pirate cruiser's propellers began to churn the water, and the Independencia gathered way. The bow-man of each boat endeavoured to secure a hold, but the drag of the water-logged craft was too great.