"The truth?"
"Fear makes lies, Señor; I know no fear."
"We shall not go ashore to-night. Have you seen anyone in my cabin?"
"No, Señor."
"Very well. Say nothing about this."
Jack sat down to reflect. Neither captain nor crew could have any interest in stealing a despatch. The bag had contained nothing else. Miguel and his man were the only other passengers beside himself and Pepito. What would it profit either of them to tamper with the bag? The possession of the despatch would be of real advantage to neither of them; its loss would be merely an annoyance to himself. Anyhow, the despatch was gone; it remained to be discovered whether it had been taken by Miguel or Perez.
Pepito had been watching Jack's face. He seemed to divine what his master was thinking, for he came up to him and said quickly:
"Señor, I know the Busne. The paper is gone, and I will find out where."
Jack looked back at him for a moment without speaking, then he nodded, and Pepito hastened away with the light footstep of a cat.
Two hours afterwards he returned, with a grin of glee upon his elfin face, and a paper in his right hand.