"Hello, Sparks; you look a bit off colour?"

This was Dr. Selwyn\'s greeting as Mostyn, having handed over the watch to Plover, walked into the doctor\'s cabin.

"I feel it, Doc," replied Peter. "Touch of the old complaint—malaria."

Selwyn had detected the symptoms the moment the Wireless Officer showed his face inside the door. Peter was trembling violently. He was feeling horribly cold, and his head was aching badly.

"Taken any quinine?" asked the medical man.

"Yes," was the reply. "My ears are buzzing already."

"Then turn in," ordered Selwyn. "I\'ll make you up a draught. Keep as warm as you jolly well can. This will make you perspire freely before midnight, and you\'ll be fit by this time to-morrow."

Peter waited while the doctor made up the medicine, and then staggered to his cabin, where Mahmed, greatly concerned, helped his master into bed and piled blankets and a bridge-coat upon his shivering body.

It was now one bell in the first dog watch.

At two bells Peter was still awake and trembling with cold spasms when Watcher Plover hurriedly entered the cabin.

Plover had no idea that Mostyn was down with malaria, and it was not unusual for him to find Peter lying on his bunk when off duty.

"Call for the ship, sir," he reported. "No bloomin\' error this time. SVP as sure\'s my name\'s Plover."

Mostyn kicked off the blankets and rolled out of the bunk. He staggered as he stood up, and would have been glad of Plover\'s assistance. But the Watcher, having delivered his message, had gone back to his post.

With a terrific buzzing in his ears Peter almost dragged himself along the alleyway and up the bridge-ladder. Many a time he had regretted the absence of a second wireless officer. Now, above everything, he wanted an efficient substitute; but, of course, none was available.

Entering the wireless-cabin, he picked up the telephones and gave the acknowledgment. Then, a pencil in his trembling hand, he waited for the text of the message to come through:

"SW. TLB. FEW. CNI. TLXQ. VP AELD TNI PU. AEMQ".

Yes, Peter had that all right, but, ever on the cautious side, he asked for the message to be repeated.

"Here you are," he said, handing the duplicate message to his assistant. "Nip off with that to Captain Bullock."

"Don\'t you look rummy, sir?" remarked Plover, noting for the first time Mostyn\'s drawn features.

"Am a bit," admitted Peter. "I\'ll be all right by the morning. Skip along."

Watcher Plover "skipped along" at his usual stolid pace to the Old Man\'s cabin, while Peter, almost incapable of controlling his trembling limbs, somehow contrived to regain his bunk.

"Signal just come through, sir," reported Plover, as he handed the pencilled form to the skipper.

"All right," replied the Old Man brusquely. "Hand me that book; the second on the left. That\'ll do, carry on."

It did not take Captain Bullock long to decode the message, but a frown of perplexity spread over his forehead as he read the momentous words.

Then he rang the bell and ordered Plover to return.

"Who received this?" he asked.

"Mr. ............