eing filled with loathing? Our beauty on the locker there
will be the last to give himself away. But never mind raging about this
now. I woke you up for something else. Come on deck. There, do you see
that steamer just opening out from the Hospital island? That's the
_Antiguo Mahones_, the mail-boat from Barcelona. Unless he's
broken down somewhere, your man Weems should be on board."

"I'm afraid not. According to the book of Steamer Sailings I looked at
in Genoa, he ought to have left Barcelona three days ago."

"Precisely; but, old chappie, you don't know the _Antiguo
Mahones_. Now I do. She was built on the Clyde in the early
'sixties, and has seen much service under the Red Duster. When she grew
old and outclassed, she followed the way of all steamers, and was
bought by a Mediterranean firm who quite understand her infirmities and
nurse her accordingly. Her skipper is far too sensible a person to put
to sea in anything approaching blowy weather, even though he does carry
his most Catholic Majesty's mails; and the passengers are quite the
class of people to appreciate his caution. _Manana_, if you will
remember, is the motto of the nation."

"Well, if that's the case," I broke in, "it seems to me our best plan
will be to get ashore now, and go for our pickings in Talaiti de Talt
without further delay. Weems is always seasick, so he told me, from the
moment he leaves shore. He said it was a sign of a highly-organized
mind, hinting that it was only coarse-fibred people who could keep
their victuals under hatches in a roll. And so, as the _Antiguo
Mahones_ has been getting kicked about in big swell ever since she
left Barcelona inner harbour, it's pretty safe to bet that Master Weems
has had the business part of his little soul churned completely out of
him, and that he'll go and lie up at Bustamente's Hotel for a day or
two to recruit. He'll never guess we're here, and consequently will see
no cause for hurry. And besides, these Fleet sailormen will make an
additional argument towards lying low for a bit. He'll see how they
wander about in batches into all sorts of unexpected places, and he
will be very chary about rootling up the cache whilst they are in the
neighbourhood and likely to disturb him."

"There's a good deal in that," commented Haigh, blinking at the shabby
black steamer thoughtfully. "You'd better pop down below in case he has
ventured his little self on deck, and should happen to twig you. But
stil