"I should scarcely think so, sir," answered Perry.  "A man would literally have to be able to find his way about blindfolded to attempt to run out of the river on such a night as this.  No, I am inclined to think that it is some inward-bound craft, becalmed like ourselves.  We caught the sound of some order spoken on board her when we first became aware of her presence, and Mr Fortescue here was of opinion that the words used were Spanish, although the distance was too great to enable us to distinguish just what was said."