"It is the name on the chart; and that is all I know or care about it. Now, it is just ten miles across the Strait to Tarifa." "Not more than that?" "Exactly that; but it is fifteen miles more to the New Mole in Gibraltar. The question to be decided within the next five minutes is whether we shall follow the shore to the south-east, or stick it across to Tarifa." "How much the lead of the Fatimé have we?" asked Louis. "We shall come out a mile and a half ahead of her; but she is going to develop more speed very soon." "I am decidedly in favor of making the course for Tarifa," replied Louis. "I don't believe she can overhaul us before we get across, if ever." "Just my idea; across it is," responded Scott. "But we are not quite up with the point yet. If the Pacha's steamer comes too close to us, we can run into the shoal water on the other side. We shall euchre the Grand Mogul yet." Louis did not feel as nervous as before. CHAPTER XXII CONSTERNATION ON BOARD THE SHIP The Maud had certainly developed a rather remarkable speed for a boat of her size; but she had been built on the Clyde for the Pacha, and twelve knots had been stipulated as the speed she was required to make in the contract. Felipe had explained as well as he could that something had been the matter with the machinery even before he left the service of the distinguished Moor. Neither he nor the engineer of the Fatimé could ascertain what it was; but that morning, when he made a thorough overhauling of the machine, after his appointment as her engineer, he had discovered a bolt which had dropped into a place where it impeded the movement of the piston. He had removed it, and the result had been seen during the afternoon. But for this discovery the Grand Mogul, as all of them were in the habit of calling him in a sort of mild derision, might have bagged his game. "Here we are, exactly off the point, Louis. What time is it now?" "Thirty-seven minutes past four," answered the deck-hand. "We were off Point Malabata at precisely four: twenty." "And the distance is three and a half miles," added Scott. "You may take the wheel now, Louis, and I will figure up the speed of the Maud." "Give me the course, if you please, Captain," said Louis, as he took the spokes. "North-east and a quarter north," replied Scott, who had evidently taken it from the chart before; and for the want of a parallel rule he was compelled to resort to expedients in order to find it. "North-east and a quarter north," repeated Louis; and he watched the compass till he had the steamer on the course indicated.