Let's get started again. Attendance list for the second round. Right, okay. Now, back to the middle list. Yes, we were talking about the possible implications. I mean, from your perspective to the extent that you had a chance to follow. Of course, I don't expect you to know everything which has taken place since the 1990s. Most of you, if not all of you, were attending kindergarten or primary schools back then. But at least it's a way of learning your subject. It is essential that you go back and read in retrospect what happened there. And many of the events that unfold, of course, when news coverage, of course, taking place on TV channels, there are also references to the past events. So they are not only talking about what has happened today. For instance, if I'm not mistaken, there is this so-called WikiLeaks. You know, have you heard that? WikiLeaks. The Wiki, there is this Wikipedia which is quite, you know, important to get first-hand information. But of course, never 100% rely on anything or everything you find on the Internet because you have to double-check the veracity of the information. Because Wikipedia and other types of encyclopedia are also open to individual contributions. Well, there may be some, I don't know, a screening process, but still they cannot be knowledgeable about every single thing. Anyway, the WikiLeaks, I did not have much time to read into the subject, but what I get from this somewhat superficial collection of information, there is this leak of information about what happened during this war, prior to the war, 1991, after the war, and prior to the Second War in Iraq, 2003, and afterwards. So, of course, the situation is somewhat tense. Still, very tense, but was tense. And there is this talk about some private contractor firms which were supposed to provide security to not necessarily Iraqi people, but more specifically to the American and British and other countries, top leadership and soldiers as well as such individuals, civil individuals who were part of the administration or part of the, of course, administration not from within the Iraqi people, I mean, some American people as well as Iraqi administrators. And these private contractor firms who were supposed to provide security, especially of these individuals and groups of people, have committed certain crimes, such as the Blackwater, which is, and this is so reported on the media, in various instances everywhere, for so many years since 2004 and onwards. So, this is therefore an indication of what happened in the past. And if you follow the WikiLeaks or other type of information coming in retrospect, I mean, making references to what happened in the past, you might have an understanding of what really happened there. So, there are also other countries like Israel, Jordan, Egypt, the Gulf countries. What in your opinion, or how in your opinion these countries were affected from Iraq war? Yes, Anil, any particular opinion about how Israel may have affected from the situation in Iraq? I mean, when I say a country being affected from a certain development, of course, there are many ways in which you can make comment. I mean, you can say, like Fatih said at the beginning about the situation in Syria, its economy was badly affected from the immigrants, people who fled their countries and went into the Syrian territory. But they're also being affected. We mainly look, not exclusively, but mainly look at the change in the threat perceptions of states. Because our concern is primarily, first and foremost, is the security situation. I mean, of course, Professor Erin Cialda might be interested in the economic situation, or somebody else might be interested, Esra Chouda might be interested in the sociological situation, and Mustafa Kubbal is interested in the security situation. So, therefore, these events can be covered from various perspectives, and all of which would make sense. And of course, when you combine all of them together, you have correct assessment of the situation, which gives you a much better idea. But given the limited time that we have and limited knowledge that each and every one of these professors, including myself, has, and therefore we cannot go beyond certain level and we cannot make comments on everything else. But first and foremost, the thing that we look at, how a particular change in some particular country affects the threat perceptions of other states. And that's why this book as well is titled National Threat Perceptions in the Middle East, meaning how the threat perceptions of these countries was affected by the situation in Iraq. So this is an essential point. When we talk about how Iraq affected the rest of the region, we mainly look at the change in the perception of threat for these countries. Of course, threat perception is something which may be covered extensively and threat is composed of many sort of items under this heading of national threat. But we are confiding our attention mainly to the situation in the metri-security dimension. Sorry. Again, having said that, what do you think or how do you think things have changed in the name of Jordan, for instance, or Egypt, or Israel? Yes, can you speak up? Can you hear her? So if you can't hear her, why don't you say that you can't hear her? Go ahead. Change. Well, Gurdjian says the attitude of Israel towards the biological weapons convention and chemical weapons convention changed after the loss of faith in what ANSCOM has done, actually, because ANSCOM was not able to finish the job. And so what has changed, but in what direction? All right, so while there might have been a possibility for Israel to go ahead and sign and ratify the biological weapons convention and sign and ratify the chemical weapons convention, actually they did sign the chemical weapons convention, but they have not ratified it. Well, this is another dimension of the problem, and again, we have discussed this issue extensively over this past weekend among these people sitting around the table, this rectangular table, but there was a round table type of discussion, and Israel is always made reference to the chemical weapons, biological weapons capabilities of countries, some of the countries in Gurdjian, and others made references to the nuclear weapons capability never been acknowledged by the Israelis. And again, for instance, Israelis are concerned very much, not only merely the presence of chemical and biological weapons or ballistic missiles in the hands of their enemies here in the region, but also they are equally, if not more concerned with the presence of all sorts of rockets or short-range missiles and also hand grenades or RPGs or other types of explosive devices and of course suicide bombers which and who equally take lives of people. So therefore, the situation in Iraq and more so after 2003, invasion of Iraq by the US forces as well as British and some other forces, created this chaotic situation in Iraq, the militia wars among themselves, as well as outside intervention, and Iraq has become the open market for all sorts of weapons systems, all sorts of terrorist organizations to get training and all sorts of smuggling activities, which of course became a major source of concern for Israel because there are people whom they believe go all the way from other parts of the world, come to Iraq, then cross over the Jordanian territory or by way of Syria and Lebanon, they sort of stage their attacks on the Israeli people here in their Haifa, Tel Aviv, other places and then this is an equal concern for the Israeli people, security people. So therefore, this is, I mean, looking at the issue from the smallest or slightest or lightest concern of weapons system to up to the chemical and nuclear biological weapons system, ballistic missiles, there is a wide range of issues that equally cause concern for Israel. This is somewhat typical of Israeli security analysts because Israel is looking forward to having 100% security, which doesn't exist anywhere. There is no such thing as being foolproof, secure, no infiltration, no leaks, no attacks, no killings. Well, that would be the ideal world for every country in the world but this is not the situation and every country, even though this is not the desirable situation for anyone, every country has to tolerate a certain level of insecurity. So you cannot be 100% secure and you cannot take every single measure that might necessitate for 100% security, which may never come and certain things that you might be doing, you may be doing in the name of providing this 100% security may in turn bring you insecurity because certain things cause so much resentment among the population of other countries and give rise to certain new groups who may not have had any such decision in the past but because of what, for instance, one of the governments might be doing so they become an enemy of the government or enemy of the country so become someone who commits attacks or just also commits himself or sacrifices his life for life and in order to cause some damage to the country. I'm talking about these attacks on Israeli cities or Israeli population. So therefore Israel has been affected by on large but also had also certain impact on the developments on Iraq which again we will talk in the coming weeks separately when we will look at the issue a little bit from Turkey's perspective because I mean this is a Middle East Secure Structures course this is a course on the Middle Eastern countries Turkey is not usually and not necessarily counted as one of them but still for reasons that I explained and also will explain in more detail Turkey has big stakes in the security situation in the Middle East and has been significantly affected from the situation in Iraq and also is likely to be affected and still at present time being affected by what is going on with respect to Iranian nuclear capability so we will talk about all this in the coming weeks. Jordan, Jordan something specific took place with respect to Jordan after the first Gulf War in 1991. I mean if there are let's say two or three major events fundamental stones the yardstick type of developments in the Middle East one of them has to do with Jordan. Any idea what might this be? Yes again? Yeah, yeah I think it's 1993 September but you might be right I cannot keep dates so well in my mind but you might be right. After Iraqi war or the war on Iraq actually there are two things that this might be very small a tiny difference there is this thing that we sometimes interchangeably use and sometimes incorrectly war in Iraq or war on Iraq if I were to ask you which one is which I mean first war and second war or 1991 or 2003 which one goes to which one? Exactly I mean this is very good this is important because the first one was not in Iraq it was on Iraq it was against Iraq to you know push them out of the Kuwaiti territory but the second took place in the Iraqi territory and therefore still maybe on Iraq I mean against Iraq but took place in Iraq this is somewhat a tiny difference but something important and this after the first war on Iraq there was this which was later on revealed as being the secret peace process which took place in Oslo at the capital of Norway of course these Scandinavian countries were quite anxious for so many years not only recently to be acting in between the conflicting parties to bring them together in this nice settings in places like Oslo, Stockholm where you relax in a nice environment and far from the public pressure in your countries where there is this situation is chaotic and you are being treated so well and there are also people who almost constantly provide you some encouragement, material encouragement spiritual encouragement to act in certain way or to take certain steps that would bring some positive developments in the future where you can find some solutions to your problems for instance remember back in 1978-79 there was this Camp David meeting between Sadat and Begin and they have cut a deal for peace agreement which paved the way to Egyptian official recognition of Israel actually before that as you know Sadat has gone to Israel and spoke at the Knesset, at the Israeli parliament which of course caused the expelling of Egypt from the Arab League and the headquarters of Arab League was moved to Tunisia the capital of Tunisia Tunis so in Oslo the parties have talked extensively secretly because one major difficulty that again on this past weekend in the United Kingdom in London somewhere pretty close to London in a castle outside of the intervention of anybody one major problem was this issue of recognition of Israel Israel was not recognized by any other country prior to Egyptian recognition and this is something that even though de facto they come together with Arabs and Israelis, Iranians whom you would think being the bloody enemies of each other come together in this kind of settings there is this so-called track one and track two meetings this is a meeting between the government officials or intergovernment official or formal meetings and track two is between non-governmental officials, non-official nothing is binding and there is also so-called track one and health something that was recently produced and which is attended by partly governmental and partly non-governmental people and our meetings are this kind of meetings there are some officials from representatives countries but also they speak in their individual capacity without making any formal commitment but this kind of meetings are places where parties exchange their opinion they put their proposals on the table and better occasions, better opportunities to better understand what the other side has to say or has to say so therefore Oslo was such an environment it was actually a track one type of meeting with the participation of official people because after which if there was going to be any peace treaty that would be among the governments or among the officials but also attended by non-governmental meeting people because there are many specialists, experts on all these middle eastern issues those who know about the economic situation those who know about the sociological situation demographic issues, meter issues, technological issues anything that you can think of being part of this large scale negotiations took place in Oslo which produced something that was quite a breakthrough at the moment was Jordanian official recognition of Israel so that Oslo peace which was conducted separately and behind the doors, away from the scrutiny of other people so in the meantime there was actually a formal peace negotiation which took place in Madrid there was Madrid peace process or Madrid Middle East peace process and this process is still continuing on and off I mean there were up and down sort of developments some expectations were high at certain points were down at other points etc so this is something that goes on and Jordan, of course this time unlike the isolation of Egypt from the Iraq, sorry, Arab League Jordanian recognition of Israel did not produce such results I mean at least officially yeah there might be resentments in the Jordanian public domain in the streets of Arab nations as to why Jordan recognized Israel but when you look at this map and when you remember things that we have learned over the past several weeks about the security situation with respect to Jordan you can see how influential Israel is on Jordanian security and Jordan was actually the king Hussein well it was kind of ambivalent well Jordanian friend of ours will not like this term but it is at least so perceived from outside it was not quite clear whether Jordan supported the resolutions yes they did indeed but Jordanian king Hussein made such statements publicly which were broadcast by TV channels such as CNN International I listened myself live as to what he said and said such things that were really bitter statements about the United States coalition forces so in a sense politically or formally he was on one side but on the other hand he wanted to balance his country's situation by making such statements that would appeal to the hearts and minds of the Arab streets so yet actually Saddam Hussein considered Jordan if not a bloody enemy as he considered Israel but he did not like Saddam Hussein did not like the idea that King Hussein somehow supported the coalition forces therefore Jordan was very much concerned about its security with an Iraqi threat perceived from Iraq same also applies to Syria with respect to Jordanian-Syrian relations are not that perfect are not that well so Israel in a sense in return for Jordan's mild attitude so to speak against Israel I'm not talking about these public statements, rhetorical statements which are pronounced, spelled out for public consumption I'm talking about what has been done in the formal official ground and Israel was quite happy with the performance of Jordan after the war and which produced this official recognition why is that so important and why is it that Israel is so concerned about being recognized this is something psychological I mean everybody knows and I cannot just say this here explicitly but there are people from the region even this past weekend or in the previous conferences last year the year before or many years ago they always say let's admit that there is such and such state whether we like it or not called Israel and let's also admit these are Arab people I mean from Arab countries officials, non-officials or ex-officer people who were in the past or still serving as advisors who occupied higher ranks in their governments in their countries they say let's admit there is the state of Israel and it is not going to go anywhere and that we are not going to beat them militarily and economically but we cannot publicly or officially admit their presence we cannot accept their presence we cannot recognize their presence to be true to our Arab cause so therefore de facto and de jure of course there is this difference but and therefore Israelis are not anymore as has been the case in the past especially prior to the Egyptian official recognition there was some sort of a psychological void a spiritual void in their mind they were concerned about being recognized and they sort of did a lot of things poured a lot of sources, money for lobbying purposes and for other purposes for political influence to get the if not official recognition but at least sympathy within the Arab world they have been successful to the extent of securing Egyptian recognition which was actually at the expense of returning Sinai Peninsula which they had occupied back in 1967 with the 67 war and Egypt one of the reasons why Egypt recognized the state of Israel was to put an end to this hostilities maybe quite noble and objective but the real purpose I would say to get the Sinai Peninsula which is a significant proportion of land of Egyptian territory and also something that provides a strategic depth strategic depth is not only the title of the book written by our foreign minister Ahmed Davutoglu but also something that is used in the terminology of strategic studies it is the distance between your valuable assets and the enemy's capabilities so if you can keep your most valuable assets like your capital like your large population centers or like your most advanced technological sites or facilities and if there is a significant distance that you can feel confident that they are beyond the reach of your enemy then you can believe that you have a strategic depth strategic depth is therefore something that you should keep in mind and we will discuss this issue again later on just to give you an idea so Israel secured the recognition of Egypt yet it was not that satisfactory in terms of political objectives because after all they proclaimed their independence in 1948 most possibly sometime around 1967-68 they must have acquired their nuclear weapons capability even though they do not acknowledge or deny these are important developments they had significant conventional military capabilities state of the art technologies the latest technological innovations in the military sort of industry yet quite confident about their military capabilities military prowess they could trust that they would not be especially after the Yom Kippur war and onwards they would not be invaded or no Arab state would even there attacking again for so many years yet they said something is missing I mean you know someone might be quite rich handsome has everything in his life or her life still there is something missing like and some people therefore go for some adventures go to Himalayas like my friend Nassou or some other people just you know go into politics for political adventure so this may not be a good example Israel is even though in terms of economic capabilities prospered over the years especially you know since the end of the 80s and well into the 1990s there was a significant investment coming from the United States into Israel for instance many of you use computers laptops right and Intel processors are being produced in Israel is one of world's biggest producers so this kind of developments must have made the Israelis quite happy they are secure well of course with the exception of these attacks here and there every now and then but still their territory up until this Iranian threat was not under the threat of any major country economically prospered politically coherent within themselves yes Israeli politics maybe in some respects may be much more chaotic when compared to Turkish politics but still there is a certain sense of unity against vis-a-vis the foreign or foreign policy issues but still they were not happy with that they sought recognition they wanted to be recognized to be taken seriously by every other country even if they may not be a love affair with the Arab countries but still a certain stability was what in their mind but still that has not come with the exception of Jordan and also some countries like Oman like Morocco they have not recognized of course but they have established some trade relations with if not directly but indirectly with Israeli firms or Israeli government so these are things that Israel concern was good nowadays what we hear is that they do not seem to be very much concerned with this recognition issue especially after as I said many Arabs have come to the point of admitting the existence of Israel except for some statements made by Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad now let's say a few words about Egypt how do you think the situation in Iraq may have affected the Egyptian foreign policy or security policies because when I say being affected I look at the threat perceptions change in the threat perceptions what in your opinion the Iraq war and the ensuing process I mean from 1991 up to 2003 and after 2003 at present time what do you think might be the major Egyptian concerns in terms of the implications of the Iraq war what in your opinion let me put it that way was the situation for Egypt before the Iraq war and after the Iraq war you should be able to make such comparison or analytical discussion what about our guest speaker one point well made by our guest speaker today was you know the impact of Iraq war on Egypt's claim to be the leader of the Arab world because we have discussed this before Egypt, Syria and Iraq have always found themselves in a rivalry for the leadership in the Iraq war and Nasser's policies and Nasser had a wide ranging impact on the rest of the Arab world and he found himself in such a position that he must also intervene in the Yemen war I mean Egypt intervening in Yemen we talk about this so Egypt that was partly maybe Nasser's personal interpretation partly because some in the Egyptian administration may have encouraged Nasser to do so in order to claim or to prove Egypt's leadership in the Arab world again you would like to say something they are now well actually Arab League was established in 1945 and the headquarters been in Cairo and so remained until Sadat's visit to Tel Aviv and then the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel they were expelled from the Arab League and the headquarters of Arab League moved to Tunis as I just said in Cairo and Amr Musa the former Egyptian for ministry is the secret general of the Arab League and while I was at a friend of mine whom I saw just last weekend as I said is going to contribute to the job of the Jordanian delegation for the simulation so you're lucky so Egyptian ambassador Nabil Fahmi is going to give some hints on the Egyptian policies but Egypt claimed the leadership position Arab League since from the beginning and Nasser in a sense crowned this I mean just in a sense underline or emphasize and made many people believe that Egypt was the uncontested later up to Arab League and that was actually the reason why Syria from Egypt to join their capabilities and there is this United Arab Republic 58 to 61 and then after Egypt's return to the Arab League still Cairo of course again became the headquarters of the Arab League and Egypt, Syria and Iraq still found themselves in a race because Saddam Hussein was no less obsessive person with respect to the Arab leadership so was Hafiz al-Assad the former president and the father of current president Bashar al-Assad's father who was a leader of Syria who also claimed leadership in the Arab world so these three countries always raised so to speak for the Arab League sort of Arab leadership therefore I don't think there should be any misunderstandings in that but this is of course a political issue and Egypt found itself in a rather shaky position after the Iraq war because especially its economy was badly affected because Egypt was not a rich country they have some oil reserves and some natural gas reserves but these are far from being even sufficient for their own economy for their own consumption but still it is not a rich country and Egypt just like Turkish workers going to Germany and other countries in Europe like France, Austria, etc and sending their earnings, parts of their earnings back to Turkey and Turkey for so many years really relied on the money foreign exchange currency coming from the Turkish workers who left their families behind and these monies deposited to Turkish banks after a while have become a source of real and significant amounts of money coming to the Turkish economy Egyptian economy also depended on the Egyptian workers in the Gulf states because rich Gulf states had a lot of oil and gas still they have a lot of oil and gas but very few populations and who would not necessarily willing to do certain jobs like cleaning the streets or serving the guests in the restaurants or housekeeping in some tourist facilities etc or work in the petroleum refineries or in the construction business so many Pakistanis or Malaysians and others but mainly Egyptians because they spoke the very same Arabic language so many of them went to the Gulf after the oil boom like the 70s so throughout the second half of the 70s and 80s up to the 1991 Gulf War many Egyptians have gone to these countries this has helped the Egyptian economy not only in the sense of reducing the unemployment because many of them who would otherwise be unemployed in Egypt have found employment in other countries but also there was money coming from these people to their families etc but in the 1991 war actually disturbed the situation deeply because of of course the situation of Iraqi invasion of Kuwait the war in the region and many of the jobs were lost because many of the jobs or production or constructions or there was no tourist actually who would just spend his time in hotels or in Arab Emirates etc so many of those people who work in the service sector or construction business or some manufacturing business have gone back to Egypt so now that this money coming from these people was cut off but also these I knew a large sum of people who would add to the group of already unemployed people in Egypt that significantly affected the situation but of course this is again the economic dimension that could be further elaborated by economic sort of economists who studied this subject in more detail but of course this had implications for the security situation because Egyptian economy which could barely or hardly cover the expenses of its meter spanning much of which actually was coming from the United States in the name of Drake-4nate meter 8 or in terms of donations of some weapons systems of course this has also was badly affected so there were some concerns about what to do with the Iraqi situation and Egypt thought they lost their significance because in the past Arab-Israel peace meant Egyptian-Israel peace in the first place Egypt claiming to be the leader of the Arab world leading the Arab world in a certain direction but this time the chaotic situation they were losing ground and they were losing they thought they were losing their significance in the eyes of the Americans so if they lose their significance in the eyes of the American administration they thought they would lose economic as well as meter 8 in terms of financial assets, money or weapons systems and also political support so that was again something which impacted the Egyptian security again something that Bush had said in the first hour resentment toward the United States and Western powers because of their extended stay in the Gulf countries with their military capabilities also had an impact on the non-state actors, non-governmental groups and these radical groups for which actually Egypt was a very fertile ground already not just because of the Iraq war or prior to that it was long before a source of where the genesis of Muslim Brotherhood was there so therefore all of these things that we will cover considering that this Friday is the Republic Day and we will not have class on Tuesday next week and coming days and weeks. We will continue discussing these issues. You should make copies of this and start reading and there will be additional readings in due course and check your emails for any instant message that may come from me. Thank you.


Chapter 20 of The Pirate Island, a story of the South Pacific by Harry Collinwood. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. A Night of Terror Captain Staunton's first act, after suitably acknowledging Dickinson's expression of fealty, was to inquire how the crisis had been brought about. The explanation made his eyes flash fire. He ground his teeth and clenched his fists with rage as he thought of how he would have punished the Ruffian who had laid such brutal hands upon his little pet. And when the explanation was complete, he rung Bob's hand until it fairly ached as he thanked him for what he had done. Meanwhile, poor May still lay in her mother's arms moaning with pain, and when the skipper took her on his knee the little creature once more screamed out and complained that it hurt her shoulder. Upon this, Lance, thinking that something must be wrong, made a careful examination of the child, when it was found that Rally's brutal violence had resulted in the dislocation of her shoulder. It was of course at once pulled back into place, but the poor little creature screams at the pain of the operation were terrible to hear, and Captain Staunton, in the hastiness of his anger, registered a solemn vow that if he ever again met Rally, he would make the wretch pay dearly for his brutality. How little he dreamed of the terrible circumstances under which he would next see this miserable man.  The night had grown black as pitch, not a solitary star was visible, and the heat was so intense as to be almost insufferable, but the men thought nothing of this in their eagerness and zeal now that they had taken the decisive step of throwing up their old life of crime and had fairly enrolled themselves once more on the side of law and order. In a very short time the boats had made the passage across the bay and were brought with an easy graceful sweep alongside the landing at the shipyard. The occupants quickly disembarked, and while the ladies proceeded at once under the care and guidance of Rex and Bob to save in comfortable quarters in the schooner's spacious cabin, Captain Stanton gave orders that two large fires should be immediately lighted, one on each side of the landing, for the double purpose of affording them a light to work by and of enabling them to perceive the approach of their enemies. Four, he remarked to Lance, you may depend upon it that their suspicions are thoroughly aroused by this time, and it will not be long before they are after us to see what it all means. A couple of huge heaps of shavings, chips, and ends of timber were speedily collected and ignited. The blaze soaring high in the motionless air and throwing a strong, ruddy light for a considerable distance round. Then Lance, with bowls, Dickinson pool, and three or four other reliable hands, armed with torches, went carefully round the schooner, inspecting the cradle. It was unfinished, but Lance thought that a couple of hours more of energetic labor expended upon it would make it sufficiently secure to enable them to affect the launch. Time was now of immense value to them, they could not afford to be very particular, and so long as the cradle would serve its purpose, that was all they cared about. They accordingly set to with a will, and very soon the yard resounded with the harsh rasping of saws and the heavy blows of mauls wedging the timbers into their places. In the meantime, Captain Staunton, with the rest of the party, went on board the schooner, and after fully arming themselves with cutlass and revolver, opened the magazine, passed a good supply of ammunition on deck, cast loose the guns, and carefully loaded them, cramming them almost to the muzzle with bullets, spike nails, and anything else they could lay hold of.  Bob at once stepped forward, and, being accepted, provided himself forthwith with a hammer and a sufficient length of fuse, and set out upon his errand. He had scarcely disappeared in the gloom when Dale, who had volunteered to keep a lookout, gave warning of the approach of two boats, the launch and the penis, full of men. They were observed almost at the same moment by Lance, who hailed, Schooner Ahoy, do you see the boats coming? Aye aye, answered Captain Staunton, we see them, and we'll give them a warm reception presently. Very well, returned Lance, we shall stick to our work and leave you to do the fighting, if you require any assistance give us a call. All right, answered the skipper, then turning to the men on the Schooner's deck, he shouted, run those two guns out of the stern ports there, and train them so as to sweep the boats just before they reach the landing. So that's well. Now wait for the word, and when I give it, fire. The boats, however, were meantime lying upon their oars, their crews apparently holding a consultation. The firelight which revealed their approach, revealed to them also the fact that the occupants of the shipyard were fully prepared to emphatically dispute any attempt on their part to land, and the sight brought vividly to their minds the aphorism that discretion is the better part of valor. At length, after some twenty minutes of inaction, during which the workers underneath the Schooner's bottom plied their tools with a skill and energy that was truly astounding, the two boats were once more put in motion, their crews directing their course toward the landing, each boat having a rude substitute for a white flag reared upon a boat hook in the bow. The moment that they were near enough for their occupants to hear him, Captain Stanton hailed them with an imperative order to keep off or he would fire into them. They at once laid upon their oars, and a man rising in the stern sheets of the launch returned an answer which was, however, quite unintelligible. Meanwhile the boats, still having way upon them, continued slowly to approach. Backwater shouted the skipper, seizing the trigger line of one of the guns whilst Brooke stood manfully at the other. Backwater, all of you, instantly or we will fire. The man in the stern sheets of the launch waved his hand. The oars again flashed into the water and both boats dashed at the landing place. Wait just a moment yet, said the skipper, raising a warning hand to Brooke and squinting along his gun at the same time. Now, fire! The report of the two brass nine-pounders rang sharply out at the same moment, making the schooner quiver to her keel, and severely testing the construction of her cradle. A crash was heard, then a frightful chorus of shrieks, yells, groans, and execrations, and as the smoke curled heavily away, both boats were seen with their planking rent and penetrated here and there, and their occupants tumbling over and over each other in their anxiety to get at the oars, many of which had been suffered to drop overboard, and withdraw as quickly as possible to a somewhat safer distance. A hardy cheer was raised by the party in possession of the shipyard, those on board the schooner reloaded their guns in all haste, and the hammering down below went on with, if possible, still greater energy. The boats were suffered to retire unmolested, and nothing further was heard of them for over half an hour. Then Dale, who was still maintaining a careful lookout, suddenly gave notice that they were again approaching. The two after most guns were accordingly, once more, very carefully pointed and fired. Captain Stanton giving the word as before, but by some mischance the muzzles were pointed a trifle too high, and both charges flew harmlessly over the boats, tearing up the water a few yards astern of them. The pirates, upon this unexpected piece of, to them, good fortune, raised a frantic cheer of delight, and bending at their oars until they seemed about to snap them, dashed eagerly at the landing place. There was no time to reload the guns, so seizing his weapons and calling upon all hands to follow him, the skipper hastily scrambled over the schooner's bulwarks, and making his way to the ground, rushed forward to meet the enemy, who had by this time affected a landing. The two opposing forces met within half a dozen yards of the water's edge, and then ensued a most desperate and sanguinary struggle. The pirates had by this time pretty nearly guessed at the audacious designs of those to whom they were opposed. They had seen enough to know not only that an escape was meditated, but that it was also proposed to carry off the schooner, that beautiful craft which their own hands had so largely assisted to construct, and in which they had confidently expected to sail forth upon a career of unbounded plunder and license, in full reliance that her speed would ensure to them complete immunity from punishment for their nefarious deeds. Such unheard of audacity was more than enough to excite their anger to the pitch of frenzy, and they fought like demons, not only for revenge, but also for the salvation of the schooner. But if these were the motives which spurred them on to the encounter, their adversaries were actuated by incentives of a still higher character. They fought for the life and liberty, not only of themselves, but also of the weak, defenseless women, whose only trust under God was in them. And if the pirates rushed furiously to the onset, they were met with a cool, determined resolution, which was more than a balance for overpowering numbers. Captain Staunton looked eagerly among the crowd of ruffingly faces for that of rally, determined to avenge with his own hand the multitudinous wrongs and insults which this man had heaped upon him and his dearest ones. But the Greek was nowhere to be seen. On the skipper's right was Lance, and on his left Dickinson, the former fully occupying the attention of at least three opponents by the marvelous play of his cutlass blade, whilst the latter brandished with terrible effect a heavy crowbar which he had hurriedly snatched up on being summoned to the fight. Rex and Brooke were both working wonders also. Bowles was fighting as only a true British seaman can fight in a good cause, and Dale, with a courage which excited his own most lively surprise, was handling his cutlass and pistol as though he had used the weapons all his life. Steadily, and inch by inch, the pirates were driven back in spite of their superior numbers, and at last, after a fight of some twenty minutes, they finally broke and fled before a determined charge of their adversaries, rushing headlong to their boats and leaving their dead and wounded behind them. Captain Staunton did not follow them up, although the two whale boats still lay moored at the landing as they had left them. He was anxious to avail himself of the advantage already gained in making good the escape of his own party rather than to risk further losses by an attempt to inflict additional punishment upon his adversaries. Besides, that might possibly follow later on when they had got the schooner afloat. His first act, therefore, after the flight of the pirates, was to muster his forces and ascertain the extent of the casualties. The list was a heavy one. In the first place, nine of the little band were missing at the muster. Bowles presented himself with his left arm shattered by a pistol bullet. Brook was suffering from a severe scalp wound, and every one of the others had a wound or contusion of some sort, which, whilst it did not incapacitate them for work, was a voucher that they had not shrunk from taking their part manfully in the fight. This first hasty examination over, an anxious search was instituted for the missing. The first man found was Dickinson, dead, his body covered with wounds, and a bullet hole in the center of his forehead. Near him lay Dale, bleeding and insensible, shot through the body. And a little further on, Bob was found, also insensible, with a cutless gash across the forehead. Then Dick Sullivan was found dead, with his skull cloven to the eyes, and near him, also dead, one of the seamen of the Gallatea. And lastly at some distance from the others, Ned Masters, with another seamen from the Gallatea, and two of the escaped prisoners, were found all close together, severely wounded, and surrounded by a perfect heap of dead and wounded pirates. These four, it seemed, had somehow become separated from the rest of their party, and had been surrounded by a band of pirates. This made a list of three killed, and six severely wounded. The latter were gently raised in the arms of their less injured comrades, and taken with all speed on board the schooner, where they were turned over for the present to the care of the ladies, while those who were still able to work resumed operations underneath the ship's bottom. Another quarter of an hour's hard work, and in Lance's voice was heard ordering one hand to jump on board the schooner, and look out for a lawn. All right, exclaimed Bob's voice from the deck. Heave it up here, Mr. Evelyn. What? You there, Robert? Glad to hear it, my fine fellow. Just go forward, look out for the lawn, and when you have it, haul taut and make fast securely. All right, answered Bob with his head over the boughs. Heave! The lawn, a very slender one, was thrown up, and Bob, gathering in the slack, and noticing that it led from somewhere ahead of the schooner, bowsed it well taut and securely belated. He knew at once what it was. Hurrah! he shouted joyously. That means that we are nearly ready for launching. Bob's unexpected reappearance, it may be explained, was due to the fact that he had been merely stunned, and had speedily recovered consciousness under the ministering hands of his gentle friends in the cabin, upon which, though his head ached most violently, he lost no time in returning to duty. Lance now made a second careful inspection of the cradle, and upon the completion of his round, he pronounced that, though the structure was a somewhat rough and ready affair, it would do. That is to say, it would bear the weight of the schooner during the short time she was sliding off the ways, and that was all they wanted. And now comes the wedging up, I suppose, sir, remarked Poole interrogatively. Wedging up, returned Lance with a joyous laugh. No, thank you, Poole. We'll manage without that. Do you see these two pieces of wood here in each keel block? Well, they are wedges. You have only to draw them out, and the top of the block will be lowered sufficiently to allow the schooner to rest entirely in the cradle. Get them all, Poole, and you and I will start forward. Whilst you, Kit, with another hand, commence aft. Knock out the wedges on both sides as you come to them, and work your way forward until you meet us. The rest of you had better go on board, and see that everything is clear and ready for launching. When you're quite ready to launch, let me know if you please, Mr. Evelyn, and I'll go and light the fuse that's to blow up the battery, said Bob. Ah, to be sure, answered Lance. I had forgotten that. You may go up now if you like, Bob, and I'll give you a call when we're ready. Bob thereupon set off on his mission of destruction, while Lance and Poole, with a couple of mauls, began to knock out the wedges which Evelyn, foreseeing from the very inception of the work, some such emergency as the present, had introduced in the construction of the keel blocks. In a few minutes, both parties met near the middle of the vessel, and the last pair of wedges were knocked out. That's a good job well over, exclaimed Poole, and precious glad I am now, that I thought of soaping them ways this morning. I knowed this here business must come before long, and I determined to get as far ahead with the work as possible. Now I suppose, sir, we're all ready? Yes, I think so, answered Lance, but I'll just go forward and take a look along the keel to see that she is clear everywhere. He accordingly did so, and had the gratification of scene by the still brilliant light of the fires that the keel was a good six inches clear of the blocks, fore and aft. All clear, he shouted. Now go on board, everybody, light the fuse, Robert, and come on board as soon as possible. Aye aye, sir, answered Bob from the not very distant battery. A tiny spark of light appeared for an instant in the darkness, high up on the face of the rock, as our hero struck a match, and in another couple of minutes he was running nimbly up the steep plank, leading from the rocks beneath to the schooner's deck. Kick down that plank, Robert, my lad, and see that it falls clear of everything, said Lance. Are we all clear, fore and aft? All clear, sir, came the hearty reply from various parts of the deck. Are you ready with the axe forward there, Kit? All ready, sir. Then cut. A dull, cheaping thud of the axe was immediately heard, accompanied by a sharp twang as the tautly strained line parted. Then followed the sound of the shores falling to the ground. There was a gentle jar, and the schooner began to move. She moves, she moves, was the cry. Hurrah! Now she gathers way. Yes, shouted Lance joyously, she's going. Success to the petrol. As he shivered to pieces on the stem-head, a bottle of wine which the steward, anxious that the launch should be shorn of none of its honors, had brought up from the cabin and hastily thrust into his hand. Three cheers for the saucy petrol, my lads. Hip, hip, hip, hurrah! Ah! The three cheers rang lustily out upon the still air of the breathless night, as the schooner shot with rapidly increasing velocity down the ways and finally plunged into the mirror-like waters of the bay, dipping her stern deeply in plowing up a smooth, glassy furrow of water, fringed at its outer edge with a coruscating border of vivid, phosphorescent light. The boats, the boats again, suddenly shouted bowls, as the schooner, now fairly afloat, shot rapidly stern foremost away from the rock. Good God, they are right in our track. We shall cut them in two. That is their lookout, grimly responded Captain Stanton. If they had been wise, they would have accepted their defeat and retired to the shore. As, however, they have not done so, they must take the consequences. Remember, lads, not a man of them must be suffered to come on board. A warning shout from the helmsman of the Penis announced his sudden discovery of the danger which threatened the boats, and he promptly jammed his helm hard a starboard. The launch was on his portside, and the result was a violent collision between the two boats. The Penis striking the launch was such force as to send the latter clear of the schooner, whilst the Penis herself, recoiling from the shock, stopped dead immediately under the schooner's stern. There was a sharp, sudden crash as the petrol's rudder clove its irresistible way through the doomed boat, and a yell of dismay from its occupants, several of whom made a spring at the schooner's tafferel, only to be remorselessly thrust off again. There is a chance for them yet, said the skipper, as the schooner continued to drive a stern, leaving the wretches struggling in the water. The launch has escaped, she can pick them up. At length the schooner's way slackened sufficiently to enable lance by looking over the bow and stern to ascertain her exact trim. It is perfect, he exclaimed to Captain Stanton, as he rejoined the latter near the companion. She sits accurately down to her proper waterline everywhere, thus proving the correctness of all my calculations. A result which pleases as much as it surprises me, since I have had to depend entirely on my memory for the necessary formula. Well, Captain Stanton, my task is now finished. Here is the schooner, fully rigged and fairly afloat. Take charge of her, my dear sir, and may she fully answer all your expectations. Thanks, Evelyn. A thousand thanks, exclaimed the skipper. Hardly grasping lance's preferred hand. You have indeed executed your self-imposed task faithfully and well. Let me be the mouthpiece of all our party, in conveying to you our most hearty expressions of gratitude for the noble manner in which you have aided us in our great straight. To you is entirely due the credit of bringing our project thus far to a successful issue. But for your skill, courage, and resolution we might have been compelled to remain for years. Ha! What is that? A low rumbling roar was faintly heard in the distance, rapidly increasing in volume of sound, and breaking in with startling effect upon the breathless stillness of the night. It is another earthquake, exclaimed Lance. Thank heaven we are afloat. Had it caught us upon the stalks it would doubtless have shaken the cradle to pieces, and in all probability, thus frustrated our escape. The ominous sound drew swiftly nearer and nearer, filling the startled air with a chaos of sound which speedily became absolutely deafening in its intensity. The waters of the bay broke first into long lines of quivering ripples, then into a confused jumble of low foaming surges. The schooner jarred violently, as though she was being dragged rapidly over a rock bottom. There was a hideous groaning, grinding sound on shore, soon mingled with that of the crashing fall of enormous masses of earth and rock, above which could still be feebly heard the piercing shriek of horror raised by the occupants of the launch. The shock passed, but was immediately followed by one of still greater intensity. The waters were still more violently agitated. The schooner was swept helplessly hither and thither, rolling heavily and shipping great quantities of water upon her deck as the shapeless surges madly leaped and boiled and swirled around her. Finally, a long line of luminous foam was seen to be rushing rapidly down upon the schooner from the harbour's mouth, stretching completely across the bay. As it came nearer, it was apparent that this was the foaming crest of a wall of water some 12 feet in height, which was rushing down the bay at railway speed. Hold on, every one of you, for your lives! Horses shouted the skipper, as the wave swept threateningly down upon the schooner, and the next moment it burst upon them with a savage roar. Luckily the petrol's bowels were presented fairly to it, or the consequences would have been disastrous. As it was, it curled in over the stem, an unbroken mass of water, filling the decks in an instant and carrying the schooner irresistibly along with it toward the shore at the bottom of the bay. Let go the anchor, shouted Captain Stanton, as soon as he could get his head above water. But before this could be done, the wave had swept past, rushing with a loud, thundering roar, far up the beach, even to the capstan house, and then rapidly subsiding. Get the canvas on her at once, ordered Captain Stanton. Close reefed, mainsail, foresail, and jib. We shall have some wind presently, please, God, and we'll make use of it to get out of this as speedily as possible. Merciful heaven, what now? A sudden roar, a rattling crash, as of appeal of heaviest thunder, and the whole scene was suddenly lit up with a lurid, ruddy glow. Turning their startled glances inland, our adventurers saw that the lofty hilltop, dominating the head of the ravine, near which was situated the gold cavern, had burst open, and was vomiting forth vast volumes of flame and smoke. As they looked, the top of the hill visibly crumbled and melted away, the flames shot up in fiercer volumes, vast quantities of red hot ashes, mingled with huge masses of glowing incandescent rock, were projected far into the air. A terrific storm of thunder and lightning suddenly burst forth to add new terrors to the scene, and to crown all, a new rift suddenly burst open in the side of the hill, out of which they immediately poured a perfect ocean of molten lava. In the face of this stupendous phenomenon, Captain Stanton's order to make sail past unheeded, the entire faculties of every man on board the schooner were wholly absorbed in awestruck contemplation of the terrific spectacle. Onward rolled the fiery flood, it wound in a zigzag serpentine course down the side of the hill, and soon reached the thick wood at its base and at the head of the valley. The stately forest withered, blazed for a brief moment, and vanished in its fatal embrace, and now it came sweeping down the steep declivity toward the bay. This terrible sight aroused and vivified the paralyzed energies of those on board the petrol. Without waiting for a repetition of the order to make sail, they sprang with panic-stricken frantic haste to cast off the gaskets, and in an incredibly short time the schooner was under canvas. Still, there was no wind. Not the faintest breath of air came to stir the flapping sails of the now gently rolling vessel, and her crew could do nothing but wait in feverish anxious expectancy for the long delayed breeze, watching meanwhile the majestic irresistible onward sweep of that fiery deluge. At last, thank God, there was a faint puff of wind. It came, sighed past, and died away. And now another. The sails caught it, bellied out, flapped again, filled once more, and the petrol gathered way. She had gradually swung round until her bow pointed straight for the captain-house, and Captain Stanton sprang to the wheel, sending it with a single vigorous spin hard over. The breeze was still very light, and the craft responded but slowly to her helm. But at length she came up fairly upon a wind, and made a short stretch to the eastward, tacking the moment that she had gathered sufficient way to accomplish the maneuver. She was now on the port-tack, stretching obliquely across the bay in a southerly direction, when a startled call from Poole, repeated by all the rest, directed Captain Stanton's gaze once more landward. Look, look, merciful powers it is rally, was Lance's horrified exclamation as he grasped the skipper convulsively by the shoulder, and pointed with a trembling hand to the shore. Sure enough, it was rally. The pirates had either not waited to seek him, or had not thought of looking for him in the cottage before setting out on their expedition against the shipyard, and he had consequently been left there. But somehow, doubtless in the desperation of mortal fear excited by the dreadful phenomena in operation around him, he had at last succeeded in freeing himself from his bonds, and was now seen running toward the beach, screaming madly for help. The stream of lava was only a few yards behind him, and it had now spread out to the entire width of the very narrow valley. The unhappy wretch was flying for his life. Terror seemed to have endowed him with superhuman strength and speed, and for a moment it almost appeared as though he would come out a winner in the dreadful race. Bout ship sharply rang out the skipper's voice. He is a fiend rather than a man, but he must not perish thus horribly if we can save him. He put the helm hard down as he spoke, and the schooner shot up into the wind, with her sails sluggishly flapping. But before she had time to get fairly round, the helm was suddenly rided and then put hard up. Keep all fast, commanded Captain Stanton. It is too late. No mortal power can save him. See, he is already in the grasp of his fate. Such was indeed the case. The fierce breath of that onward-rolling flood of fire was upon him. Its scorching heat sapped his strength. He staggered and fell. With the rapidity of a lightning flash, he was up and away again. But merciful God, see, his clothing is all ablaze, and listen to those dreadful shrieks of fear and agony. Ah, miserable wretch! Now the flood itself is upon him. See how the waves of fire curl round him? He throws up his arms with a harsh, despairing blood-curdling yell. He sinks. He is gone. And the surging, fiery river sweeps grandly on until it plunges with an awful hissing sound into the waters of the bay, and the whole scene becomes blotted out by the vast curtain of steam, which shoots up and spreads itself abroad. What a night of horror!  As he turns his eyes away and devotes himself once more solely to the task of navigating the schooner. Thank God the breeze is freshening, and we may now hope to be soon out of this and clear of it all. Phew! What terrific lightning! And what an infernal combination of deafening sounds! Fortunate was it for the schooner and her crew that the wind was from the southward, or blowing directly down into the bay. Otherwise they would speedily have been lost in the thick clouds of steam which rose from the water, or set on fire by the dense shower of red-hot ashes which now began to fall thickly about them. As it was, though the wind was against them, and they were compelled to beat up the bay, the wind kept back the steam, and also, to a great extent, the falling ashes. But notwithstanding these favorable circumstances, the crew were obliged to keep the decks deluge with water to prevent their being ignited. Gradually, however, the petrol drew further and further beyond the influence of this danger, and soon the rock at the harbour's mouth was sited. Captain Staunton was at first somewhat anxious about risking the passage out to sea, being doubtful whether the explosion of the magazine had yet taken place, but a little reflection satisfied him that it must have occurred, as they had been drifting about the bay for nearly an hour, and he determined to push on. Suddenly there was a shout from the lookout forward. Boat ahead, immediately followed by the information, it's the launch, sir, bottom up. Such indeed it proved to be when the schooner a minute later glided past it. But where were her crew? They had disappeared, leaving no sign behind them. The horse-angry roar of the breakers outside was now distinctly audible, and in another five minutes' time the petrol's helm was eased up. She was kept away a couple of points, and shooting through the short narrow passage on the eastern side of the rock began to plunge with a gentle swinging motion over the endless procession of long, slowly moving swell outside. The crew of the schooner had time to note, as they swept past the rock and through the passage, that the battery no longer frowned down upon the bay. In its place there appeared a yawning, fire-blackened chasm, and the shipyard was thickly strewed with masses and fragments of rocks of all sizes. Both whaleboats were swamped, and a solitary gun, with a fragment of its carriage still attached, lay half in and half out of the water. The timbers of the dismembered cradles still floated huddled together like a raft, close to the landing. Now, said Lance to Captain Staunton, as soon as they were fairly outside of the harbor, We are free, thank God, and as there seems to be no immediate prospect of your further needing my help, I will go and look after the wounded and the ladies. Poor souls, what a fearful time of suspense and terror they must have passed, pent up there in the cabin, listening to all these fearful sounds, and not knowing what it means or what will be the end of it. Lance, accordingly descended, to find the ladies pale as death, and their eyes dilated with fear, resolutely doing their best with the aid of the steward to assuage the agonies of the wounded. He was, of course, at once assailed with a hundred questions, to which, however, he put a stop by holding up his hand and laughingly saying, Pray, spare me, and show me a little mercy, I beseech you, to answer all your questions would occupy me for the remainder of the night. Be satisfied, therefore, for the present with the general statement that we have successfully launched the schooner, as doubtless you have long ago found out for yourselves, that there has been a terrible earthquake accompanied by a volcanic eruption which bids fair to completely destroy the island, that we are now in the open ocean, having made good our escape, and that there is at present nothing more to fear. Where is May? She is asleep in that birth, answered Mrs. Stanton, so I hope the worst of the poor child's pain is over. No doubt of it, answered Lance, the fact that she is sleeping is in itself a sufficient indication of that. And now let me first thank you for your care of my patience here, to whom I will now myself attend, and next order you all three peremptorily off to bed, away with you at once to the most comfortable quarters you can find, and try to get a good night's rest. Utterly worn out, the ladies were only too glad to obey this order, and they accordingly forthwith retired to the cabins which the steward had already prepared for them. The more severely wounded were then speedily attended to, their injuries carefully dressed, and themselves comfortably bestowed in their hammocks, after which came the turn of the others. By the time that Lance had fully completed his arduous task, the first faint streaks of dawn were lighting up the eastern horizon, and he went on deck to get a breath or two of fresh air. He found the schooner slipping along at a fine pace under every stitch of canvas she could spread, including studying sails, with the breeze about two points on the starboard quarter, a clear sky above her, and a clear sea all round. Away a stern, as the light grew stronger, could be seen a dark patch of smoke low down upon the horizon, indicating the position of Albatross Island, but the land itself had sunk below the horizon long before. My story is now ended, very little more remains to be told, and that little must be told as tersely as possible. The petrol made a very rapid and prosperous passage home, and in due time arrived at Plymouth, long before which, however, the wounded had all completely recovered. Here the passengers landed, whilst Captain Stoughton proceeded with the schooner to London, where the craft was safely docked and her crew paid off. The skipper then made the best of his way to the office of the owners of the Gallatea, where he was received with joyous surprise. His story listened to with the greatest interest, and himself congratulated upon his marvelous escape from the many perils which he had encountered. And, best of all, before the interview terminated, his owners showed in the most practical manner their continued confidence in him by offering him the command of a very fine new ship which they had upon the stocks almost ready for launching. I must leave it to the lively imaginations of my readers to picture for themselves the raptures welcome home experienced by the other personages who have figured in this story. Merely remarking that it left absolutely nothing to be desired, its warmth being of itself a sufficient compensation for all the hardship and suffering they had endured. The gold which Bob's forethought had been the means of securing was duly divided equally between all who could fairly be regarded as entitled to a share. And though it certainly did not amount to a fortune apiece, it proved amply sufficient to compensate the sharers for their loss of time. On the receipt of his moiety, Bob gave a grand supper to all his friends in Brightling sea, the witches referred to with justifiable pride by the landlady of the anchor, even unto this day. It was whilst this eventful supper was in full swing that Lance Evelyn unexpectedly made his appearance upon the scene. He was enthusiastically welcomed by Bob, duly introduced to the company, and at once joined them, making himself so thoroughly at home with them, and entering so completely into the spirit of the affair, that he sprang at a single bound into their best graces, and was vehemently declared by one and all to be a real out and outer. The next day found him closeted for a full hour with old Bill Maskell, after which to everybody's profound astonishment the pair left for London, only to return next day however accompanied by a fine tall, soldierly looking old man to whom Bob was speedily introduced, and by whom he was claimed, to his unqualified amazement, as an only and long lost son. Sir Richard LaCelle, for he it was, was indebted to Lance for this joyous discovery, and it was almost pitiful to witness the poor old gentleman's efforts to adequately express his gratitude to Evelyn for the totally unexpected restoration of his son to his arms. Bob, now no longer Bob Ledgerton, but Mr Richard LaCelle, was speedily transferred to his father's house in London, and according to the latest accounts he is now busy qualifying himself to enter the Navy. Poor old Bill Maskell was in a strangely agitated condition for some time after the occurrence of these events, being alternately in a state of greatest hilarity at Bob's return home, and despondency at the reflection that henceforth the remainder of their lives must be spent apart. Sir Richard has, however, done what he could to console the poor old man by purchasing for him a pretty little cottage and garden in the most pleasant part of Breitling Sea, supplementing the gift with an allowance of one hundred and fifty pounds a year for the remainder of his life. Some two months or so after the arrival home of the petrol, a notice appeared in the morning post and other papers announcing a double marriage at St. George's Hanover Square. The contracting parties being respectively Lancelot Evelyn and Blanche LaCelle, and Rex Fortescue and Violet Dudley. There is every reason therefore to suppose that those four persons are at last perfectly happy. It has been whispered in the strictest confidence, of course, that there is some idea of fitting out an expedition to the South Pacific for the purpose of ascertaining whether Albatross Island is still in existence, and if so whether there is any possibility of working the enormously rich gold mine, the strange discovery of which is recorded in these pages. Should the expedition be undertaken and carried out with results worthy of note, an effort will be made to collect the fullest particulars, with the view of arranging them in narrative form for the entertainment of such readers as are sufficiently interested in our friends to wish for further intelligence about them.