The boat was going at her top speed, while Tom ran her straight out towards the Isle of Wight. The search-light of a warship a mile or more away was playing constantly on us as we sped along, and I could see a spot of darkness, probably a launch, leaving her side and starting in our direction. As I gazed, I breathed in long breaths of fresh air. I felt as if I had never known how good air, just plain air, was, before. [Illustration: THE SEARCH-LIGHT OF A WARSHIP WAS PLAYING CONSTANTLY ON US. [_Page 122._ ] “Take off Mr. Orrington’s armor, boy,” ordered Tom sharply. “You all right, Jim?” “Sure,” I answered. “What are we in for?” “I don’t know yet,” replied Tom, “but we’ll know pretty soon. We can’t get away in this old boat. We’ll run as long as we can, though. Luckily they sent a launch, not a torpedo boat or a destroyer. The battleship landed us with their searchlight just a few minutes ago, and once they fixed it on us, I pulled you up. Get anything?” “Yes,” I replied, and fell back into silence, while the lad valeted me out of my diving suit. The launch was coming swiftly. It seemed to be moving two feet to our one. “It’s going to be a pretty close shave,” I remarked, as I stood beside Tom, who had given the wheel to the boy. “Yes, but I’m going to head straight for Ryder, and trust to luck,” he said. We were well towards the shores of the Isle as the launch came near enough to hail. “Stop or we shoot,” came hurtling at us. “No go,” said Tom resignedly, as he stopped the engine, “and there’s the shore not five hundred yards away.” Just as he spoke, the light vanished. The searchlight had gone out; something must have happened to the current. We could hear the officer swear vigorously, as the launch came up. Tom seized my arm. “To the dingy,” he whispered. “Lad, if you keep your mouth shut, I’ll straighten everything out,” he murmured to the boy, as we scrambled to the stern. “Roight, sor,” said the boy briefly, as he sat phlegmatically beside the engine. Tumbling into the dingy, I seized the oars and pulled swiftly towards the shore, as the launch came up on the opposite side. We could hear the hail as the officer came aboard, and his angry raging “Where are the other men?” “Don’t know,” answered the boy. The officer ran to the stern. “They have the boat, follow them,” he cried, but just as the launch turned, we struck the shore, and before the panting sailors could reach us, were off the beach and sheltered in a deep doorway. We heard their steps running by, as we stood crouched against the wall, but we dared not venture out till we had heard them returning after a futile chase. Once they were by, we started off into the country at a brisk pace. The morning was well on as we came into Seaview, whence we had planned to come back to Portsmouth. I had finished my story, and Tom had meditated on it for an hour, while we strode sturdily on. As we stopped by a wayside brook to freshen our toilet, he spoke. “No metal?”