letters of thanks in Italian and sent them to their respective
addresses.

"Phil blasphemed like a Levant skipper when he copied those Italian
words!" laughed Chater. "He had made three copies of each letter before
he could get all the lingo in accordance with your copy."

"I've been the whole afternoon at them--confound them!" declared the
owner of the _Lola_ with a laugh. "But, of course, I didn't want to make
a lot of errors in spelling. These Italians are so very punctilious."

"Well, you certainly did the right thing to thank the Admiral," I said.
"It's very unusual for him to send out torpedo-boats to help a vessel in
distress. That is generally left to the harbor tug."

"Yes, I feel that it was most kind of him. That's why I took all the
trouble to write. I don't understand a word of Italian, neither does
Chater."

"But you have Italians on board?" I remarked. "The two sailors who rowed
me out are Genoese, from their accent."

Hornby and Chater exchanged glances--glances of distinct uneasiness, I
thought.

Then the owner of the _Lola_ said--

"Yes, they are useful for making arrangements and buying things in
Italian ports. We have a Spaniard, a Greek, and a Syrian, all of whom
act as interpreters in different places."