Charles went home almost mad.
“Lucky thing I called at Warbeck’s apartments to-night,” said Redgill, to himself, as soon as Charles had left him. “What brought that money on his table? Methinks I smell a very large-sized mouse,” said he, with a fiendish smile, drinking wine at a small wine-shop near the theatre. “I managed to abstract it rather neatly, I must confess; his head wasn’t turned more than a minute—and it contains £2,000. What care I if the fool is ruined? I only wish it were Ned Warbeck instead; how my heart would leap with joy—the young viper!”
CHAPTER XXII.
FEARFUL ENCOUNTER BETWEEN THE SKELETON CREW AND THE SMUGGLERS.
“Well, Dolphin, and what news of this new wonder, Wildfire Ned?” asked the Smuggler Chief. “He has joined Lieutenant Garnet, say you?”
“He has.”
“And what does he intend to do?”
“He swears to exterminate the Skeleton Crew.”
“So much the better for us, then,” laughed the Smuggler Chief. “If young Ned Warbeck can only rid the seas of such monsters as they are, then there may be some chance of honest folks, like ourselves, getting along a bit farther than we have done of late,” said the Chief, with a dry grin.