must have further particulars, my friend. You seem
to have hit upon the clew I wanted, but it must be followed very
cautiously. You know where to lay your hand upon this villain? You have
had the sense not to scare him off?"

"Sarten, your honor. I could clap the irons on him any hour you gives
that signal."

"Capital! Take your son to see the sights, and both of you come to me at
ten to-morrow morning. Stop: you may as well take this half guinea. But
when you get drunk, drink inwards."

CHAPTER XXVI

MEN OF SOLID TIMBER

Mr. Mordacks was one of those vivacious men who have strong faith in
their good luck, and yet attribute to their merits whatever turns out
well. In the present matter he had done as yet nothing at all ingenious,
or even to be called sagacious. The discovery of "Monument Joe," or
"Peg-leg Joe," as he was called at Flamborough, was not the result of
any skill whatever, either his own or the factor's, but a piece of as
pure luck as could be. For all that, however, Mr. Mordacks intended to
have the whole credit as his sole and righteous due.

"Whenever I am at all down-hearted, samples of my skill turn up," he
said to himself as soon as Joe was gone; "and happy results come home,
on purpose to rebuke my diffidence. Would any other man have got so far
as I have got by simple, straightforward, yet truly skillful action,
without a suspicion being started? Old Jellicorse lies on his bed of
roses, snoring folios of long words, without a dream of the gathering
cloud. Those insolent ladies are revelling in the land from which they
have ousted their only brother; they are granting leases not worth a
straw; they are riding the high horse; they are bringing up that cub
(who set the big dog at me) in every wanton luxury. But wait a bit--wait
a bit, my ladies; as sure as I live I shall have you.

"In the first place, it is clear that my conclusion was correct
concerning that poor Golconda; and why not also in the other issue? The
Indiaman was scuttled--I had never thought of that, but only of a wreck.
It comes to the same thing, only she went down more quietly; and that
explains a lot of things. She was bound for Leith, with the boy to be
delivered into the hands of his Scotch relatives. She was spoken last
off Yarmouth Roads, all well, and under easy sail. Very good so far.
I have solved her fate, which for twenty years has been a mystery. We
shall have all particulars in proper time, by steering on on