an' then--"

"By what right?" roared Raffles, in a ringing voice, and I never saw
his face in such a blaze. "Search us if you like; search every scrap
and stitch we possess; but you dare to lay a finger on us without a
warrant!"

"I wouldna' dare," said Mackenzie, as he fumbled in his breast pocket,
and Raffles dived his hand into his own. "Haud his wrist!" shouted the
Scotchman; and the huge Colt that had been with us many a night, but
had never been fired in my hearing, clattered on the table and was
raked in by the captain.

"All right," said Raffles savagely to the mate. "You can let go now. I
won't try it again. Now, Mackenzie, let's see your warrant!"

"Ye'll no mishandle it?"

"What good would that do me? Let me see it," said Raffles,
peremptorily, and the detective obeyed. Raffles raised his eyebrows as
he perused the document; his mouth hardened, but suddenly relaxed; and
it was with a smile and a shrug that he returned the paper.

"Wull that do for ye?" inquired Mackenzie.

"It may. I congratulate you, Mackenzie; it's a strong hand, at any
rate. Two burglaries and the Melrose necklace, Bunny!" And he turned
to me with a rueful smile.

"An' all easy to prove," said the Scotchman, pocketing the warrant.
"I've one o' these for you," he added, nodding to me, "only not such a
long one."

"To think," said the captain reproachfully, "that my shib should be
made a den of thiefs! It shall be a very disagreeable madder, I have
been obliged to pud you both in irons until we get to Nables."

"Surely not!" exclaimed Raffles. "Mackenzie, intercede with him; don't
give your countrymen away before all hands! Captain, we can't escape;
surely you could hush it up for the night? Look here, here's
everything I have in my pockets; you empty yours, too, Bunny, and they
shall strip us stark if they suspect we've weapons up our sleeves. All
I ask is that we are allowed to get out of this without gyves upon our
wrists!"

"Webbons you may not have," said the captain; "but wad aboud der bearl
dat you were sdealing?"

"You shall have it!" cried Raffles. "You shall have it this minute if
you guarantee no public indignity on board!"

"That I'll see to," said Mackenzie, "as long as you behave yourselves.
There now, where is't?"

"On the table under your nose."

My eyes fell with the rest, but no pearl was there; only the contents
of our pockets--our watches, pocket-books, pencils, penknives,
cigarette case