rounded bows sitting high up out of the water, a long, straight
waist, and a bridge and cluster of deckhouses at the stern.

"Our motor ship," Mr. Coburn explained with evident pride. "We had
her specially designed for carrying the pit-props, and also for this
river. She only draws eight feet. You must come on board and have
a look over her."

This was of all things what Hilliard most desired. He recognized
that if he was allowed to inspect her really thoroughly, it would
finally dispel any lingering suspicion he might still harbor that
the syndicate was engaged in smuggling operations. The two points
on which that suspicion had been founded - the absence of return
cargoes and the locality of the French end of the enterprise - were
not, he now saw, really suspicious at all. Mr. Coburn's remark met
the first of these points, and showed that he was perfectly alive
to the handicap of a oneway traffic. The matter had not been
material when the industry was started, but now, owing to the
recovery of the Baltic trade after the war, it was becoming important,
and the manager evidently realized that it might easily grow
sufficiently to kill the pit-prop trade altogether. And the locality
question was even simpler. The syndicate had chosen the pine forests
of the Landes for their operations because they wanted timber close
to the sea. On the top of these considerations came the lack of
secrecy about the ship. It could only mean that there really was
nothing aboard to conceal.

On reaching the wharf all four crossed the gangway to the deck of
the Girondin. At close quarters she seemed quite a big boat. In
the bows was a small forecastle, containing quarters for the crew