In the silence of the night we could hear the panting and clanking of their machinery.

The man in the stern still crouched upon the deck, and his arms were moving as though he were busy, while every now and then he would look up and measure with a glance the distance which still separated us.

Nearer we came and nearer.

Jones yelled to them to stop.

We were not more than four boat's lengths behind them, both boats flying at a tremendous pace.