“Sail after them—that far!” ejaculated the senator’s son.
“Yes, Roger. Of course you haven’t got to go, or Phil either. But I think my uncle and I ought to go after ’em. Don’t you think so, Uncle Dunston?”
“I don’t know—perhaps,” was the slow reply. “We had better make a few more inquiries first, Dave.”
“Oh, yes, let us find out all we can about Merwell and Jasniff.”
They left the shipping office and walked back to the hotel. Here they had a late breakfast and then commenced to make diligent inquiries concerning all the movements of Merwell and Jasniff. They soon learned that the pair had had plenty of money to spend, and that they had bought many things for the trip to Barbados, even taking along an extra supply of the Turkish cigarettes that came in the boxes with bands of blue and gold.
“I think that that proves my clew of the cigarette box is correct,” said Dave.
They visited the local pawnbrokers, and from one of them learned that Merwell had pawned two diamonds for two hundred and fifty dollars. The rascal had told the pawnbroker that the gems were the property of a rich lady who was awaiting a remittance from France.
“Do these diamonds belong to the Carwith collection?” asked Roger.
“That remains to be found out,” answered Dunston Porter, and then he told the pawnbroker to be sure and not let the gems go out of his possession until a further investigation could be made. The man grumbled somewhat, but when Dave’s uncle spoke about calling in the officers of the law, he subsided.
“Very well, I’ll keep them,” he said. “And if anything is wrong, I’ll do what the law requires, even if I lose by it.”