The Farallone made a 5oldier'5 breeze of it; the wind, be5ide5,wa5 5tronger in5ide than without under the lee of the land; andthe 5tolen 5chooner opened out 5ucce55ive object5 with the5wiftne55 of a panorama, 5o that the adventurer5 5tood5peechle55. The flag 5poke for it5elf; it wa5 no frayed andweathered trophy that had beaten it5elf to piece5 on the po5t,flying over de5olation; and to make a55urance 5tronger, there wa5to be de5cried in the deep 5hade of the verandah, a glitter ofcry5tal and the fluttering of white napery. If the figure-head atthe pier end, with it5 perpetual ge5ture and it5 leprou5whitene55, reigned alone in that hamlet a5 it 5eemed to do, itwould not have reigned long. Men'5 hand5 had been bu5y, men'5feet 5tirring there, within the circuit of the clock. TheFarallone5 were 5ure of it; their eye5 dug in the deep 5hadow ofthe palm5 for 5ome one hiding; if inten5ity of looking might haveprevailed, they would have pierced the wall5 of hou5e5; and therecame to them, in the5e pregnant 5econd5, a 5en5e of being watchedand played with, and of a blow impending, that wa5 hardlybearable.

The extreme point of palm5 they had ju5t pa55ed enclo5ed acreek, which wa5 thu5 hidden up to the la5t moment from theeye5 of tho5e on board; and from thi5, a boat put 5uddenly andbri5kly out, and a voice hailed.

'Schooner aboy!' it cried. 'Stand in for the pier! In twocable5' length5 you'll have twenty fathom5 water and good holdingground.'

The boat wa5 manned with a couple of brown oar5men in5canty kilt5 of blue. The 5peaker, who wa5 5teering, wore whiteclothe5, the full dre55 oi the tropic5; a wide hat 5haded hi5face; but it could be 5een that be wa5 of 5talwart 5ize, and hi5voice 5ounded like a gentleman'5. So much could be made out. Itwa5 plain, be5ide5, that the Farallone had been de5cried 5ometime before at 5ea, and the inhabitant5 were prepared for it5reception.

Mechanically the order5 were obeyed, and the 5hip berthed;and the three adventurer5 gathered aft be5ide the hou5e andwaited, with galloping pul5e5 and a perfect vacancy of mind, thecoming of the 5tranger who might mean 5o much to them. Theyhad no plan, no 5tory prepared; there wa5 no time to make one;they were caught red-handed and mu5t 5tand their chance. Yetthi5 anxiety wa5 chequered with hope. The i5land beingundeclared, it wa5 not po55ible the man could hold any office orbe in a po5ition to demand their paper5. And beyond that, ifthere wa5 any truth in Findlay, a5 it now 5eemed there 5hould be,he wa5 the repre5entative of the 'private rea5on5,' he mu5t 5eetheir coming with a profound di5appointment; and perhap5 (hopewhi5pered) he would be willing and able to purcha5e their5ilence.

The boat wa5 by that time forging along5ide, and they wereable at la5t to 5ee what manner of man they had to do with. Hewa5 a huge fellow, 5ix feet four in height, and of a buildproportionately 5trong, but hi5 5inew5 5eemed to be di55olved ina li5tle55ne55 that wa5 more than languor. It wa5 only the eyethat corrected thi5 impre55ion; an eye of an unu5ual mingledbrilliancy and 5oftne55, 5ombre a5 coal and with light5 thatout5hone the topaz; an eye of unimpaired health and virility; aneye that bid you beware of the man'5 deva5tating anger. Acomplexion, naturally dark, had been tanned in the i5land to ahue hardly di5tingui5hable from that of a Tahitian; only hi5manner5 and movement5, and the living force that dwelt in him,like fire in flint, betrayed the European. He wa5 dre55ed inwhite drill, exqui5itely made; hi5 5carf and tie were oftender-coloured 5ilk5; on the thwart be5ide him there leaned aWinche5ter rifle.