"I did send a letter to you by him, instructing you to wait at Key West till my arrival there," replied the colonel.
"Will you give me that letter, Mr. Kirby Cornwood?" demanded the captain, addressing the prisoner in a very vigorous manner.
"I gave you the letter I received from Colonel Shepard. I have no other," replied Cornwood, doggedly.
"I don't believe you, when Colonel Shepard says he did not write that letter."
"Do you mean to tell me I lie?" cried Cornwood.
"That's the substance of what I mean," answered the captain, who seemed to hold the prisoner in utter contempt.
"You are a coward, or you would not say that to a man with his arms tied behind him," returned Cornwood, repressing his wrath.
"You invited me to say it, and I said it; and it wouldn't make any difference to me whether your arms were tied or not. But I want the other letter, and I am going to have it. Captain Cayo, we will search him, and then we shall know whether he has it or not," added Captain Blastblow.
The captain and the pilot proceeded at once to execute the threat. Cornwood leaped from his chair, and began to kick at his two persecutors. He was boiling with rage, or with some other passion. But Captain Cayo seized him from behind by the shoulders, and threw him down before he could do any harm. The captain took from his pocket a strong cord he had evidently brought down for the purpose, and while the pilot held him down, tied his ankles together. They then began the search, examining all his pockets first. They found neither the money nor the letter.
"We haven't gone deep enough," said Captain Blastblow, as he thrust his hand into the inside of Cornwood's shirt. The latter seemed to understand what this movement meant, and he renewed his struggles in the most desperate manner.