re. From the extremity of New-Berne quay the crew might have been seen holystoning the deck, after which they loose

companion, Serko the engineer, as he was called on board, had not qui

h coasts. The height of her masts, the extent of the canvas she carried, her shapely, raking hull, denoted her to be a craft of great speed, and her

, and it might have been supposed that the Count d'Artigas would have preferred a steam-yacht with which he could have gone anywhere, at a

very favorable to the Ebba, and would enable her to stand straight out of the Ne

ble tautened by the rapidly ebbing tide. The small buoy that on the previous evening had

oke arose from the battery. It was answered by other repo

and Engineer Serko appeared on de

g," he said

shrugging his shoulders. "They

with us?" asked the C

all," said t

ted that the disappearance of Thomas Roch and the wa

that, though locked, the key had been taken away. It was evident that Roch and his attendant had been carried out that way. But who were the kidnappers? No one could possibly imagine. All that could be ascertained was that at half-past seven on the previous night one of the d

allowed to quit Pamlico Sound without having been first subjected to a most rigorous search. Another dispatch ordered the cruiser Falcon, which was stationed in the

ing steam up and making hurried preparations to carry out her mission. It would take at least an hour befor

anchor?" demand

t you can take your time about i

gineer Serko, "and no vessel will be able to get out without receivi

he cruiser or the Custom-House officers have been over the Ebba the embargo will be

hes for a good voyage and speedy return," chuckled Engineer

n carried off. As, however, Roch's flight could not have taken place without the connivance of Gaydon, this supposition was speedily abandoned. In

im? Might not the most serious consequences follow? Might not the discovery of the new engine be lost to America forever? If the daring act had been perpetrated on behalf of another nation, might not that nation, having Thomas Roch in its po

llance was organized on every road and at every railroad station, and every house in town and country was searched. Every port from Wilmington to Norfolk was closed, and no craft of any description could leave without being thoroughly overhauled.

not appear to be in the least concerned at the orders of the authorities and at the co

bars, the sails were hoisted, and the schooner gl

hoots off towards the northwest for about the same distance,

side stretches a chain of long and narrow islands, forming a natural breakwater north and south fr

els at night seeking refuge from the Atlantic gales, and once inside t

gger Head inlet, New inlet, and Oregon inlet. The Ocracoke was the one nearest the Ebba, and she could make it without tacking, but the Falcon was searching all vessels that passed t

avoid nor offering to approach the searchers. She seem

s considered too high and mighty a personage to be thus molested, and delayed even for an hour? It was unlikely, for though he was regarded as a distinguished for

the angle of a red field-streaming proudly in the breeze. Count d'Artigas was cosily ensconc

a hurry to board u

ink proper," said the Count in

r us at the entrance to the i

" grunted the w

o his customary unco

the schooner, but would almost certainly do so as soon as the latter reached the inlet, and

nconcern? Were Thomas Roch and Gaydon so safely hidden

ve been quite so confident had he been aware that the Ebba had been

been carried off. No one else from outside had been near the pavilion that day. It was admitted that it would have been an easy matter for the Count's companion, while the former distracted the director's attention, to push back the bolts of the door in the wall and stea

ment had at first liked to give expression to, but when the Ebba was seen

alcon to intercept the schooner, to search her minutely high and low, and from stem to stern, and on n

t of such stringent orders; but even if he had, it is questionable whether this su

rance of the pass, and awaited the approaching schooner. The latter surely did not imagine that she could force a passage in spite of the cruiser, or escape from a

rom the cruiser and rowed towards the Ebba. When they were only abo

l to stop," sai

emarked the Co

l have t

n la

orders, and in a few minutes the vessel slackened

ith a boat-hook. The gangway was lowered by a couple of hands on the schoo

the Ebba drawn up in

ieutenant-advanced towards the owner of the schooner,

unt d'Artigas, to whom, I presum

s,

is her

e E

comman

ain S

his nat

do-M

he schooner's flag, while

ir, to what circumstance I owe the ple

cer, "to search every vessel now anchored in

oint since the Ebba, above every other, was to be

intention of refusing me permi

lges. Only I should like to know why all the vessels which happen t

th Carolina has been apprised that Healthful House has been broken into and two persons kidnapped, and the auth

ning surprise. "And who are the persons who

-a madman-an

may I ask, refer to the

e s

ishment-whom I questioned in presence of the director-who was seize

eenest attention, in an effort to surprise a

t, as though he had just heard abo

approve of the measures taken. I need hardly say that neither the French inventor nor his keeper is on board the Ebba. However, you ca

nto his deck-chair again and replaced his cigar between his lips, while the t

a luxuriously-appointed place, filled with art objects of great value, h

been surpassed by the most experienced detectives. Moreover, Captain Spade assisted them by every means

the cook's galley, Captain Spade's cabin, and the quarters of the crew in the f

ndy, whisky and beer barrels, biscuit-boxes, in fact, all the provision boxes and everything the hold contain

he missing men was unfounded and unjust. Even a rat could not have

tter of precaution looked into the boats hanging on the da

, therefore, to take leav

g disturbed you, Monsieur the

ed to obey your o

mality, of course,"

the Count signified that he was qu

n, that I have had no h

ve so, Monsieur the Cou

Is the Ebba now

tain

e my return you will have discovered the author of the outrage, and have Thomas Roch safely back in Healthful House.

a nod. Captain Spade accompanied them to the gangway, and they were

from d'Artigas, Captain Spade set sail again, the Ebba skimmed swif

the schooner lay becalmed, her sails limp, and her flag drooping like a wet rag. It seemed that it would be impo

e bows gazing into the water, now to port, now to starboard, as if on

l sa

s, and in an instant the sails c

break brought a breeze with it? Presumably, or the sails

accompanied by a sailor, who paddled it towards an ob

hat which had floated on the bosom of the

rom the deck of which another hawser was cast to the captain, who made it fast to the towline of the buoy. Havin

a stitch of canvas had been set, sped off in an easterly directio

dly receding lights along the American co