drive with the wind to a
perfectly safe distance before opening the conversation. At length,
however, he said--

"Now I think we are far enough away to permit of our talking freely
without being either heard or seen; so go ahead, Reynolds, and give me
the news. Has Turnbull's failure to return to the ship caused any
uneasiness to the others of his gang?"

"Well, it 'ave, and it 'aven't, if you can understand me, sir," answered
the man. "What I mean to say is this," he continued, by way of
explanation, "the chaps--Burton and the rest of 'em--seems a bit puzzled
that 'e 'aven't come off aboard to sleep to-night; but so far as I can
make out, they thinks 'e's stayin' ashore with you, chummin' up with
you, in a manner of speakin', and tryin' to get to wind'ard of you.
They seems to think that Turnbull--who thinks 'isself a mighty clever
chap, but ain't nothin' of the sort--'aven't been able to hinvent an
excuse to get away from you, and that you've been goin' about with 'im
all day, showin' 'im round the hisland and such-like; and that 'e's
stayin' ashore to-night 'opin' to be able to give you the slip early in
the mornin' and get off by 'isself to 'ave a look for 'is treasure-cave.
That's what they thinks; but of course it ain't nothin' of the sort.
_You_ knows what 'ave 'appened to 'im, sir; no doubt?"

"Oh yes," answered Leslie, with a laugh; "I know quite well what has
happened to him. He is alive; but he will not come off to the barque
again."

"Thank God for that!" ejaculated the steward, piously. "Well, sir," he
resumed, "what is to be the next move?"

"That," answered Leslie, "will depend upon circumstances--or, in other
words, upon the action of Turnbull's accomplices. It would no doubt be
easy enough to recapture the barque without further delay, if I were
willing to risk a fight. But I am not, for two very good reasons; one
of which is that my own party is so small that I cannot afford to have
either of them hurt; and the other is that your party is also so small
that if even a single man should happen to be disabled in a fight it
would be exceedingly difficult for the remainder of you to handle the
barque. Therefore I would very much rather spend a few more days over
this business, and recapture the vessel without any fighting, than rush
the matter and perhaps get somebody badly hurt. By the way, what sort
of men are these accomplices of Turnbull's? Are they of the resolute
and determined sort?"