“Yes, I did, sir,” cried the lad desperately. “I posted men all round the cottage.”
“And a deal of good that was! Anything else?”
“I have been examining the place all about, sir, with Tom May and the two boat-keepers.”
“Well, and what was the result?”
“Only that I found one of the hiding-places of this maze of a place, sir.”
“With the prisoner safe within it?”
“No, sir; I only found the planter’s boat and crew, sir.”
“Of course—just come back after helping their master to escape. And of course they denied it?”
“The black coxswain was as much surprised as I was, sir,” said Murray.
“Of course he was, Mr Murray; perfectly astounded. Bah, man! How can you be so innocent! Well, I suppose I must try and get you out of this horrible scrape, for all our sakes. Which is the coxswain? That black fellow who has been staring at us all the time I have been listening to your lame excuses?”