“Well, it is a god-dam lie,” the man said. “She did sail.”
“You hear what this man says?” the officer said. “That your ship sailed last night. What have you to say?”
“I missed my passage,” Sard said. “I was ashore, cycling. My bicycle was stolen: I trod upon a sting-ray down on the beach and came hopping here to try to get a horse, to take me to Las Palomas.”
“That’s a dam’ likely tale,” one of the men said.
“Py Chesus,” another said, “he trod upon a tam sting-ray! Py Gott, he iss a got-tam police-spy.”
“Less lip,” the officer said. He seemed to debate the evidence within his mind for an instant, then he said:
“What are you in the Pathfinder?”
“Mate.”
“What were you doing ashore, cycling, when your ship was sailing?”
“I came out to see an Englishman in the house along the beach there.”