Aleck told him in a few words, and the man whistled.
“Well, I’ll be blessed!” he said. “I allus knowed that Eben Megg and his mates must have a store hole somewhere, and p’raps if I’d ha’ lay out to sarch for it I might ha’ found it out. But I didn’t want to go spying about and get a crack o’ the head for my pains. The Revenoo lads’ll find out for theirselves some day; and so you young gents have been the first?”
“Stop a minute,” said Aleck. “What about Eben Megg?”
“Oh, they cotched him days ago, sir—cutter’s men dropped upon him while they was hunting for this young gent’s corpus, and he’s aboard your ship, sir, I expect, along with the other pressed men.”
“But haven’t they been looking for me any more?” said the middy.
“No, sir; they give it up arter they’d caught Eben; and, as I telled yer, there was a reward offered for to find yer dead as they couldn’t find yer living.”
“So that’s why Eben didn’t come back, sailor,” said Aleck, quietly.
“Yes,” said the middy, “but why didn’t he tell the cutter’s officer that we were shut up here?”
“Too bitter about his capture, perhaps, or he might not have had a chance to speak while he was ashore.”
“I don’t believe it was that,” said the middy. “I believe he wouldn’t tell where their storehouse was.”