CHAPTER IV.
The detective stood by his boat thinking over the thrilling position of affairs, when Renie Pearce once more appeared before him.
"Hello! you've come back, eh?" called the detective.
"Yes."
"Well, what now?"
"You are determined to go off to-night."
"Well?"
"You must not go, there's better game for you ashore!"
The detective was thrown off; he could not understand the girl. Renie had confessed that she had originally betrayed him to the smugglers, and then, when danger threatened, she came and warned him, and her warning failing, she came tripping to him once more, barefooted, ragged, and beautiful, and held out to him an alluring bait.
There was no misunderstanding the purport of her words. She betrayed the fact that she knew his full purpose, and her words implied that she was ready to throw him a larger and more certain game. Her words were, "There's better game for you ashore!"