Page:Silver Shoal Light.djvu/359

 "It was a very fortunate thing that two such brave people were left at the Light."

"I did nothing," said Joan. "Any one could have lighted the lamp. He made it all possible, and one minute later would have been too late. Did you see the transport? Where were you? What happened?"

Jim seemed to adjust himself, then spoke in almost his usual voice.

"We'd started back from Quimpaug," he said, "and were sailing up toward Trasket for a bit of a jaunt, when we saw a motor-boat bearing straight down on us. There were two men in it, neither of whom I'd ever seen, who proceeded to grapple the Ailouros without delay. Trasket hid us from the mainland, and they were perfectly open in their actions. One of the men promptly knocked me out—"

"He fought them both with the boat-hook for a good fifteen minutes," Elspeth broke in.

"Elspeth did good execution, herself, with an oar," Jim said. "But when they hit me, of course she could do nothing with the two of them. When I came to, we were both in the motor-boat, tied up thoroughly. They seem to have been fond of that method. We weren't