“For nothing else,” replied the Major; “and ever since we left the Wimerra, his gang has been on our track and spying on us, waiting for a favorable opportunity.”
“Yes.”
“Then the wretch was never one of the sailors on the BRITANNIA; he had stolen the name of Ayrton and the shipping papers.”
They were all looking at McNabbs for an answer, for he must have put the question to himself already.
“There is no great certainty about the matter,” he replied, in his usual calm voice; “but in my opinion the man’s name is really Ayrton. Ben Joyce is his nom de guerre. It is an incontestible fact that he knew Harry Grant, and also that he was quartermaster on the BRITANNIA. These facts were proved by the minute details given us by Ayrton, and are corroborated by the conversation between the convicts, which I repeated to you. We need not lose ourselves in vain conjectures, but consider it as certain that Ben Joyce is Ayrton, and that Ayrton is Ben Joyce; that is to say, one of the crew of the BRITANNIA has turned leader of the convict gang.”
The explanations of McNabbs were accepted without discussion.
“Now, then,” said Glenarvan, “will you tell us how and why Harry Grant’s quartermaster comes to be in Australia?”
“How, I don’t know,” replied McNabbs; “and the police declare they are as ignorant on the subject as myself. Why, it is impossible to say; that is a mystery which the future may explain.”
“The police are not even aware of Ayrton’s identity with Ben Joyce,” said John Mangles.
“You are right, John,” replied the Major, “and this circumstance would throw light on their search.”