"I find it most upsetting," his companion declared. "I am going down
to the cabin to get my lifebelt."

He turned away. Presently there was another line of signals, more
shots, some across the bows of the steamer, some right over her, a few
aft. Nevertheless, the _City of Boston_ stood on her course, and the
distance between the two steamers gradually widened. Katharine, who
had come up on deck, stood by Jocelyn Thew's side.

"Is this really the way that they shoot," she asked, "or aren't they
trying to hit us?"

"They are not trying," he told her. "If they were, every shot they
fired at this range would be sufficient to send us to the bottom."

"Why aren't they trying?" she persisted.

"There's a reason for that, which I can't at the moment explain," was
the gloomy reply. "They want to capture us, not sink us! What I can't
understand, though, is how the captain here found that out."

"How is it that you are so well-informed?" Katharine asked curiously.

"You had better not enquire, Miss Beverley. It's just as well not to
know too much of these things. Here's Mr. Crawshay," he added.
"Perhaps he'll tell you."

Crawshay appeared, hugging his lifebelt, on which he seated himself
gingerly.