"Now, Mr. Lymore, have you made inquiries about the passenger Mr. Aubyn described?"
"I've interviewed the chief steward, sir. He says that this man registered as Mr. Duncan McDonald, of Port Elizabeth."
"There's by far too many of these rascally Germans going about with guid old Scots names," declared McBride vehemently.
"Quite so," agreed Captain Ramshaw, "but unfortunately we have no evidence to prove that this fellow is a German, except that he spoke the Teuton language. He might be a Britisher after all."
"He's nae Scot, then," said the chief engineer hotly.
"I think I can suggest a good plan, sir," said Raeburn.
"Carry on, then," remarked Captain Ramshaw encouragingly.
"One of the greasers in my watch—a rattling good fellow—he's made five trips in the ship, sir—strongly resembles Stone in appearance. If you could arrest Stone and clap him in irons, we could get Tretheway, the man I refer to, to impersonate him and lure this Duncan McDonald——"
"Steady, laddie; 'tes nae Duncan McDonald," remonstrated McBride.
"The passenger who goes by the name of McDonald," corrected Raeburn. "He could be lured into putting in an appearance. Then we could nab him, too."