This did not, however, make any particular difference, for by this time all the passes, upon which the guns of the forts had been trained, were guarded by government vessels.
The _Ebba_, therefore, kept on her way, neither trying to avoid nor offering to approach the searchers.

She seemed to be merely a pleasure-yacht out for a morning sail.
No attempt had up to that time been made to accost her.

Was she, then, specially privileged, and to be spared the bother of being searched?
Was the Count d'Artigas 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 foreigner who lived the life of luxury enjoyed by the favored of fortune, no one, as a matter of fact, knew who he was, nor whence he came, nor whither he was going.
The schooner sped gracefully over the calm waters of the sound, her flag--a gold crescent in the angle of a red field--streaming proudly in the breeze.

Count d'Artigas was cosily ensconced in a basket-work chair on the after-deck, conversing with Engineer Serko and Captain Spade.
"They don't seem in a hurry to board us," remarked Serko.
"They can come whenever they think proper," said the Count in a tone of supreme indifference.
"No doubt they are waiting for us at the entrance to the inlet," suggested Captain Spade.
"Let them wait," grunted the wealthy nobleman.
Then he relapsed into his customary unconcerned impassibility.
Captain Spade's hypothesis was doubtless correct.

The _Falcon_ had as yet made no move towards the schooner, but would almost certainly do so as soon as the latter reached the inlet, and the Count would have to submit to a search of his vessel if he wished to reach the open sea.
How was it then that he manifested such extraordinary unconcern?
Were Thomas Roch and Gaydon so safely hidden that their hiding-place could not possibly be discovered?
The thing was possible, but perhaps the Count d'Artigas would not have been quite so confident had he been aware that the _Ebba_ had been specially signalled to the warship and revenue cutters as a suspect.
The Count's visit to Healthful House on the previous day had now attracted particular attention to him and his schooner.