"Late in the afternoon, as we sat here under a little patch of awning spread from the spanker boom, we sighted a small barque to the westward, coming up the straits. She’d just appeared beyond the lower point, some three or four miles distant. Watching her idly through the glass—-I had a powerful telescope—I seemed to find something familiar about her; and a little later, when she had drifted another mile nearer, I suddenly recognized the craft. ’That’s Halsted, in his little packet’ I remarked ’Her name’s the _Senegal_. You must have seen her before, if you’ve been here over six months. He makes two trips a year’ "Bert took the glass from my hand. ’I can’t remember’ said he after a moment’s scrutiny ’Ships look all alike to me. Where has she come from? You seem to know about her’ "’Why, Australia, of course!’ I exclaimed, suddenly remembering his own point of departure for Anjer ’You must have seen this little barque in Melbourne, if you were familiar with the waterfront. Halsted runs a sort of packet service from there to Singapore’ "’Halsted, Halsted’ said Bert ’No, I think I’ve never met anyone of that name—certainly not there. Look, Nichols, he seems to have run into a strip of calm’ "’Yes, and that strip of calm will spread until it covers the straits’ I answered ’I know the box he’s in—he’s just about an hour too late. There’s a nasty current off the point, with a tide-rip on the ebb. He’ll drift away from us for several hours, then slip back in the night, when he picks up the land breeze’ "After supper we went ashore. I planned to sail in the morning, but should be down the China Sea again in three months’ time. Bert had promised to make his arrangements in the meanwhile, and to leave Anjer with me on my return. I’d urged him to come at once, and would have waited a day or two longer, but he wouldn’t listen to it. It was another calm, hazy evening, with no wind on the water, but a faint languorous breeze among the palms. We sat on the verandah planning the future, if you please; he seemed to want to talk about the world, and I felt it best to encourage the inclination. "’Well, old man’ said he at last ’I’ve got to turn in. I’m weary to the bone—didn’t sleep well last night, at all. This has been an exciting time for me, you know’ "’Go ahead, and leave me here to finish out my smoke’ I answered ’I’ll be all right—I know my way about’