But along the line, about three thousand miles from America, are the Azores.

Is it presumable that the _Ebba_ is heading for this archipelago, that the port to which she belongs is somewhere in these islands which constitute one of Portugal's insular domains?
I cannot admit such an hypothesis.
Besides, before the Azores, on the line of the thirty-fifth parallel, is the Bermuda group, which belongs to England.

It seems to me to be a good deal less hypothetical that, if the Count d'Artigas was entrusted with the abduction of Thomas Roch by a European Power at all, it was by the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.

The possibility, however, remains that he may be acting solely in his own interest.
Three or four times during the day Count d'Artigas has come aft and remained for some time scanning the surrounding horizon attentively.
When a sail or the smoke from a steamer heaves in sight he examines the passing vessel for a considerable time with a powerful telescope.
I may add that he has not once condescended to notice my presence on deck.
Now and then Captain Spade joins him and both exchange a few words in a language that I can neither understand nor recognize.
It is with Engineer Serko, however, that the owner of the _Ebba_ converses more readily than with anybody else, and the latter appears to be very intimate with him.

The engineer is a good deal more free, more loquacious and less surly than his companions, and I wonder what position he occupies on the schooner.