"I am sure he will not," said Stephanie.
The girl's father nodded.
"I guess you have it right, but we needn't worry about that now. The first thing is to find out whether he is really dead."
"We must set about that at once," said Stephanie.
"We have already taken steps to that end," said Harnash. "I have cabled Smithfield to ship the men from Honolulu to 'Frisco at our expense, and to say to them that I will meet them on the arrival of the steamer. I find that a steamer sails from Honolulu on Thursday of next week. She is due to arrive on Friday of the week after. My personal affairs are in such a state that I can safely leave them. I have a substantial balance available in the bank. I am going to California to interview the men and then I shall charter a vessel and hunt for the other boat or prosecute whatever search is necessary."
"That's fine," said Stephanie. Then she turned to her father, stretching out her hand. "Father--"
The old man understood perfectly well what she wanted.
"I can amplify that plan a little," he said. "I have been wanting to get away from active business for a long time and my affairs are fortunately in such a shape that I can trust them to others. I should have trusted them to you, Harnash, if you weren't obliged to go along."
"Do you mean--?" cried the girl.
"Yes, I'll send the Stephanie around through the Panama canal immediately"--the Stephanie was a magnificent steam yacht, the greatest, most splendid, and most seaworthy of any of the floating palaces of the millionaires of the seaboard--"and we'll go on that hunt together."