"Well, if it isn't the master mechanic!" he said.
Not far distant in the darkness, the second launch was plunging furiously onward, the man in the stern anathematizing his lookout.
"Thief!" hissed Miss Chalmers. "Strike a light here."
She was already bending over the silent engine.
"They'll see me if I do," said the boatman. "Best lie quiet for the present."
"A light!" she commanded.
He obeyed, holding the match low in the boat as he lighted the candle-stub and shielded the flame with his hand.
"You burglar!" she muttered contemptuously. "Where's your wrench?"
He reached under a seat and handed it to her.
"Hold that light closer—thief! Give me a hammer, too."