"Wonderful indeed!" said the young captain.
In an instant, with the swiftness of lightning, Ayrton's conduct, his long-contrived treachery, Glenarvan's wound, the attack upon Mulready, their sufferings in the marshes of the Snowy, all the wretch's deeds, flashed upon the minds of the two men. And now, by a strange fatality, the convict was in their power.
"Where is he?" asked Glenarvan quickly.
"In a cabin in the forecastle," replied Tom Austin, "closely guarded."
"Why this confinement?"
AN UNOFFICIAL TRIBUNAL.
"Because, when Ayrton saw that the yacht was sailing for New Zealand, he flew into a passion; because he attempted to force me to change the ship's course; because he threatened me; and, finally, because he urged my men to a mutiny. I saw that he was a dangerous person, and was compelled, therefore, to take precautions against him."
"And since that time?"
"Since that time he has been in his cabin, without offering to come out."
"Good!"