“Funchal, Madeira, August 30.

“Sir:  At the request of Mr. Greenwood I beg to inform you that a brigantine, precisely answering to the description given me, anchored in the roads here on the 21st.  She only remained a few hours to take in water and stores.  I was at the landing place when the master came on shore.  He said that they had had a wonderfully fast voyage from England, having come from the Lizard under seven days, and holding a leading wind all the way.  She was flying the Belgian flag, and I learned from the Portuguese official who visited her that her papers were all in order, and that she had been purchased at Ostend from an Englishman only three weeks before, and had been named the Dragon.  He did not remember what her English name had been.

“Most unfortunately she had left a few hours before the mail steamer came in, bringing me the letter from Lloyd’s.  I do not know that I could, in any case, have stopped her; but I think that I could have got the officials to have searched her, and if the ladies had been on board, and had appealed to them for protection, I think the vessel would certainly have been detained; or, at any rate, the authorities would have insisted upon the ladies being set on shore.

“Her papers had the Cape as her destination, though this may, of course, have been only a blind.  I regret much that I am unable to give you further information, beyond the fact that there were two male passengers on board.  I shall be happy to reply to any communication I may receive from you.”

Frank hurried down to the landing place.

“Lay out, men,” he said.  “I want to be under way in a quarter of an hour.”

The men bent to their oars, and the gig flew through the water.  There was no one on shore, for Frank had given strict orders that no one was to land, of a morning, until he returned from the post office.

“Get under way at once,” he called to the captain, as soon as he came within hailing distance.

There was an instant stir on board.  Some of the men ran to the capstan, others began to unlace the sail covers, while some gathered at the davits to hoist the boat up directly she came alongside.

“I have news, lads,” Frank said, in a loud voice, as he stepped on board.  “She has touched at Madeira.”

There was a cheer from the men.  It was something to know that a clue had been obtained, and in a wonderfully short time the Osprey was under way, and heading for the point of the bay.

“Then they did not stop them there, Major?” George Lechmere asked, after Frank had stated the news.

“No, the mail did not arrive with the letter in time for Lloyd’s agent to act upon it.  The Phantom had sailed some hours before.  She is still under her square yards, and her name has been changed to the Dragon.  She was there on the 21st, and the letter is dated the 30th.”

“And today is the 6th,” George said.  “So he has fifteen days’ start of us, besides the distance to Madeira.”