Even from the distance the inroads of the storming tides were discernible. The battering of the vessel’s hull was pathetic. There were added gashes in the poor thing’s sides where her lumber cargo somehow contrived to protrude. There was no longer a stitch of canvas upon her yards to scare the sea-fowl with its whipping in the chill wintry breeze blowing in off the ocean. Whether or not this was due to Sasa’s depredations it was impossible to tell. It might be. All her gear was limply adrift, and her yards were lying sadly. She was leaning at a perilous angle, and the tides had driven her farther up on to the rocks. One real great storm and anything might happen to her.
McLagan turned again to his henchman.
“Well? What you been doing besides loading down the beach with all this junk?”
“I fish by the Lias.”
The half-breed had lowered his tone significantly. And McLagan sought to penetrate the close mask of immobility which seemed to have settled upon the man’s features.
The white man permitted a shadowy smile.
“Did you make a swell catch?”
“Maybe, yes. Maybe, no.” Sasa shrugged. “I mak big look for the man who mak shoot you all up. I think big. Plenty big. I say, this man. Maybe I find him. Yes. Boss all say plenty Sasa big coward. Him frightened of fool jack-rabbit. I mak find this man. Then I show him. I kill him all up dead.”
McLagan laughed.
“But you didn’t find him,” he said slily.