“It’s no use worrying,” he told them. “A wire may come through from somewhere.”

Marion crossed to him, for the first time to hold out her hands for him to take.

“Tell us, Jack, what you and the others think,” she pleaded.

“We think that theDo-me ’s engine broke down when they were trolling along Swordfish Reef,” he answered frankly. “As the current’s been setting to the south’ard for more than twenty-four hours, theDo-me would have been taken south. We think she might have been taken past that trawler that’s been working off Bunga Head since yesterday morning, and by now she ought to be somewhere off Eden.”

“Oh! Then what had we better do?” urged Mrs Spinks, whose face was white and drawn and in whose eyes was a strange light.

“I was thinking of getting Constable Telfer to telephone the police at Eden to ask one of the launchmen there to make a special trip to sea to look for theDo-me. Remmings spoke the trawler early this morning, but they haven’t seen theDo-me. Still, she must be down south somewhere, and Joe says that as there’s been no wind the currents wouldn’t have taken her ashore.

“Anyhow, it’s no use you two worrying. I’m taking theMarlin to sea directly we can get her loaded with oil. We mightn’t be back tonight, because Joe is going to follow the currents down from Swordfish Reef till wedo find theDo-me. Excepting for a broken engine theDo-me must be all right. The sea’s like a pond. Haven’t seen it so calm for years. Some ship or other is bound to sight Bill and give him a tow to port, or at least wireless his position.”

“It’s good of you-and the others, Jack,” Marion said.

“It is that,” added Mrs Spinks. “We’ll never be able to repay you all, I’m sure.”

“Yes, you can,” Wilton told her, and then stared at Marion. “You can repay us by not worrying. And, remember, Bill would be the first to go out after any of us. Well, so long! And no worrying, understand.”