“The only way is to taste it, eh?” laughed Hardrock. “All right, I’m with you, and will give expert testimony. Go to it! We can’t afford to make any mistakes; that’s sure.”
The case opened, Fulsom produced a bottle, unhurt by its immersion, and attacked the cork. When this was out, he handed the bottle to his nominal prisoner.
“Let’s have your verdict, Hardrock!”
The latter tasted the contents, and grimaced. “It’s the stuff,” he returned, handing back the bottle. The Sheriff promptly tilted it, and held it tilted until his breath was gone. Then, gasping, he lowered it, and replaced the cork.
“Gosh, that’s good!” he observed. “Wisht I could keep the whole bottle.”
“Go ahead.”
“Nope.” He slid it back into the case. “I could sort of ease my conscience by havin’ an excuse for one drink to make certain what the stuff was. And I sure made that drink a good one! But any more’d be stealin’ evidence, which I don’t aim to do. S’pose you slip out to the shore and keep an eye on that there boat. Maybe she’s the one we’re lookin’ for. I’ll lay up out o’ sight till I see who it is.”
Smiling to himself at the odd conceit of the Sheriff, whose regretful devotion to duty was indubitably sincere, Hardrock left the cover of the trees and returned to his clearing. He was just in time to see the launch which they had observed come circling around the point and head in. To his astonishment, he saw the figure of Nelly Callahan standing in the bow, while another figure aft was tending the engine.
The girl waved to him eagerly, while her companion, a young fellow no more than a boy, shut off the engine and let the boat run in until her nose touched the sand. By the flush of excitement in the girl’s face, Hardrock guessed that she carried news of some kind. She jumped ashore, then turned and waved her hand at the boy.
“Hardrock, this is Tom Boyle Gallagher’s boy Micky—Vesty Gallagher was sending him over to find you, so I came along to bring the message myself. I knew more about it than Vesty did, anyway, because I heard Hughie Dunlevy talking to Father last night—”