The late afternoon sky flaunted its splendour of blue and gold like a bannerover the Pacific across whose depths the trade wind droned in measuredcadence. On th... » 

The late afternoon sky flaunted its splendour of blue and gold like a bannerover the Pacific across whose depths the trade wind droned in measuredcadence. On the oceans wide expanse a hulk wallowed sluggishly the forgottenrelict of a once brave and sightly ship possibly the Sphinx of some untoldocean tragedy she lay black and forbidding in the ordered procession of waves.Half a mile to the east of the derelict hovered a ships cutter the turn ofher crews heads speaking expectancy. As far again beyond the United Statescruiser Wolverine outlined her severe and trim silhouette against the horizon.In all the spread of wave and sky no other thing was visible. For this was oneof the desert parts of the Pacific three hundred miles north of the steamshiproute from Yokohama to Honolulu five hundred miles from the nearest landGardner Island and more than seven hundred northwest of the Hawaiian group. «