Part 52 (1/2)

Mascola iven Bandrist his chance The islander had tried twice to-night to give hiot the chance But Bandrist would have no old with ht the switch and the noise of the motor died suddenly into silence

”Listen”

Mascola turned quickly in his seat and looked over the stern At the saer

Bandrist twisted about, his eyes searching the gray waters astern

”I don't,” he began But his words ended in a choking gasp

Mascola's knife had found itsat Bandrist's throat

The islander struggled to reach his gun, but he felt his strength leaving hiray splashes of fog A sharp pain laced his side His an to settle about him Fro Or was it the faint pulsing of a rew fainter until it trailed away into silence Mascola pulled the islander roughly fro the floor of the cockpit Then he sprang to the wheel and started thewas lifting And there was a boat following

Clear of the Diablo reefs, Gregory took the wheel and plunged the _Richard_ into the shi+fting wall of fog Mile afterat intervals to listen to the faint pulsing of the boat ahead At length the gray canopy lifted slowly froht the outline of the _Richard's_ broad hood rising staunchly above hiht Thethe island And they were overhauling the _Fuor d'Italia_

He threw the switch again as his eye caught the gleaht ahead For some moments he listened intently But only the soft slap of the waves against the hull of the launch disturbed the stillness

Mascola had escaped hi and heard the sound of pursuit; had doubled back into the fog bank Anguish took possession of his heart at the thought as he reached for the switch But neither Gregory nor dickie Lang heard the rasp of the startingroar which caht ahead,” the girl shouted ”I see hiory had already thrown in the clutch In a swirl of white water the _Richard_ raised her head proudly, and snorting angry defiance, raced across the intervening waves which separated her froory saw the _Fuor d'Italia_ leap forward in the ed direction and was heading off at a tangent, a course which would bring Mascola under cover of the fog bank

Veering as sharply as her speed would perull and sped on to intercept the _Fuor d'Italia_ The shi+fting bank of blindingwaters less than half a ory's starboard quarter For the Italian it meant safety To his pursuer it spelled defeat

The _Richard_ was gaining Gregoryto head the Italian off

”Swing her to port Catch hi at once upon dickie's advice, Gregory saw the wisdo course would have put hi before the _Fuor d'Italia_ reached it Noould catch Mascola broadside, full on the beale which would drive the heavier hull through the lighter one

With seaman's instinct, Mascola sensed rather than saw the _Richard's_ change of course If he tried tohe would be cut in two If he deviated a hair's breadth at that speed he'd turn turtle There was only one thing he could do

He reached his decision in a whirl of the propeller

dickie Lang knew his answer

”Hard a port Throw your switch”

The words tuory obeyed on the second, thinking the girl had lost her reason The _Richard_ dipped with a swerve which threw hi As he felt the heavy hull sinking down into the water he saw that the _Fuor d'Italia_ had ceased to plane and was settling sluggishly