“So the governor thinks I had better go home again, and that I should be quite safe. I don’t exactly agree with him, and I have an idea that I can work a trick worth two of that. This interesting young lady, whom I imagine to be Miss Cory, wants to discover my whereabouts. I have, very foolishly, been running away from her. I think I will reverse my tactics. It would be completing the good offices of Providence if I were to permit my enemies to overtake me. Nay, I will go further than that. I will give them indirect information of my whereabouts. Then, just when they imagine the hour of their triumph has arrived, I will remove them from my path with even less compunction than I felt over Hilton Riddell.
“Yes, the hunted shall turn hunter, and whether it is God or devil that is helping me, I mean to win.”
CHAPTER XI.
AN UNEXPECTED ALLY.
Annie trembled violently when she saw Hugh Stavanger disappearing with the balloon, and for a moment seemed almost fainting with excitement.
“Courage, my darling,” said her father. “He can hardly escape us now, for I will at once take steps to have him arrested as soon as the balloon descends. Now your desire to see this balloon ascent is partially accounted for. Oh, here is Major Colbrook. Do you know, sir, the man of whom we are in search is actually in that balloon?”
“Are you sure?”
“Quite sure. We have taken note of his appearance too closely to mistake any other man for him. We have also heard some news about him this afternoon, and have secured a witness who saw him with the stolen diamonds in his possession.”
“By jove, you are getting on. I suppose there had better be no time lost in seeing after his capture as soon as the balloon descends. But where, in the name of fortune, is it going to? Why—it’s going right out to sea!”
Others had noticed also that a catastrophe seemed to be impending, and intense excitement prevailed, which became augmented when the balloon was lost sight of altogether. As we know, darkness came on while the aeronauts were still being whirled away from the steamer which was to have overtaken them, and they would have perished but for the opportune arrival of the ss. “Centurion.”