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He was ignorant of who owned the swift vessel. He would never

have connected Elsa Mallaby with her in ten years of hard

thinking. All he did know was that some unknown agency was

suddenly at work in behalf of the man he hated.

He notified the admiralty that a strange schooner had

impersonated the gunboat of H. I. M. George V, and gave a very

accurate description of her.

As this was a new offense for the vessel that had already

interfered with justice twice, the skippers of all the revenue

cutters along the coast bent their energies to capturing or

sinking this semipiratical craft, upon the receipt of radiograms

to that effect.

Not only had Nat set the machinery of the law in motion against

the mystery schooner, but he had provided against any future

dabbling with his constabulary powers by the simple expedient of

having with him an officer of the law who was empowered to bring

the accused murderer of Michael Burns before the bar of justice

without transfer.