The ship he was to return to the owners; the men would be shipped on the war-yacht, of whose crew they would form a part.
The rest of them had been carefully selected by Rooke himself, and were kept in secrecy at Cattaro, ready for service the moment required.

They were all good men, and quite capable of whatever work they might be set to.

So Rooke told me, and he ought to know.

The experience of his young days as a private made him an expert in such a job.
RUPERT'S JOURNAL--_Continued_.
_June_ 24, 1907.
Last night I got from my Lady a similar message to the last, and delivered in a similar way.

This time, however, our meeting was to be on the leads of the Keep.
I dressed myself very carefully before going on this adventure, lest by any chance of household concern, any of the servants should see me; for if this should happen, Aunt Janet would be sure to hear of it, which would give rise to endless surmises and questionings--a thing I was far from desiring.
I confess that in thinking the matter over during the time I was making my hurried preparations I was at a loss to understand how any human body, even though it be of the dead, could go or be conveyed to such a place without some sort of assistance, or, at least, collusion, on the part of some of the inmates.