Eustace looked perplexed. He had no reason on the face of it to doubt the good faith of the man, and the sealed letter being answered in this way was a guarantee that Tamaroo was the emissary of the elder Lancaster. But it behoved him to be cautious, as he was surrounded on all sides by snares and pitfalls. Captain Berry was not the man to stop short of any crime to gain his end--witness the death of Starth and his pursuit of Frank.
"Do you know why Berry is pursuing Lancaster?" he asked, forgetting that the negro might see fit to keep his own counsel for the same reasons.
"To get him hanged to said Tamaroo, quietly.
"You said that before. But the reason?"
In his turn Tamaroo replied: "You said that before, sir. It is in the papers which I carry."
"And they will explain the whole business?"
"They will. They contain the whole story of the Scarlet Bat and of the Indian treasure--"
"Ah!" interpolated Eustace with grim satisfaction. "I knew there was a treasure. How much, Tamaroo? A million?"
"Nearly that. But you can see from the will."
"The will! Have you the will of Mr. Lancaster?"