“The message the sergeant gave me,” said Peter Walsh, “was to engage Joseph Antony Kinsella’s boat for your honour if so be that Miss Priscilla had your own took out.” “And why the devil didn’t you?” said Lord Torrington. “Because she’s not in it, your honour; nor hasn’t been this day. I was waiting for her and the minute she came to the quay I’d have been in her, helping Joseph Antony to shovel out the gravel the way she’d be fit for two gentlemen like yourselves to go in her.” “Is there no other boat to be got?” said Lord Torrington. “Launch Miss Priscilla’s at once,” said Sir Lucius. “Sure the paint’s wet on the bottom of her.” “Launch her,” said Sir Lucius, “paint or not paint.” “I’ll launch her if your honour bids me,” said Peter Walsh. “But what use will she be to you when she’s in the water? She’ll not work to windward for you under the little lug that’s in her, and it’s from the west the wind’s coming now.” He looked round the sky as he spoke. “Glory be to God!” he said. “Will you look at what’s coming. There’s thunder in it and maybe worse.” Sir Lucius took Lord Torrington by the arm and led him out of earshot of the police sergeant and Peter Walsh. “We’d better not go today, Torrington. There’s a thunder storm coming. We’d simply get drenched.” “I don’t care if I am drenched.” “And besides we can’t go. There isn’t a boat. We couldn’t get anywhere in that little thing of Priscilla’s. After all if she’s on an island today she’ll be there tomorrow.” “If that fool of a sergeant told us the truth this morning,” said Lord Torrington, “and there’s some man with her I want to break every bone in his body as soon as I can.” “He’ll be there tomorrow,” said Sir Lucius, “and I’ll see that there’s a boat here to take us out.” CHAPTER XVIII Priscilla and Frank left the quay at half past seven against a tide which was still rising, but with a pleasant easterly breeze behind them. Once past the stone perch Priscilla set the boat on her course for Craggeen and gave the tiller to Frank. She herself pulled a spinnaker from beneath the stern sheets and explained to Frank that when she had hoisted it the boat’s speed would be considerably increased. Then she made him uncomfortable by hitting him several times in different parts of the body with a long spar which she called the spinnaker boom.