"What!" said Paterson; "d'ye mean the cave that Sandy found Carver Kinlay in, after the wreck o' the Undine?"
"Ay," said Colin.
"Then Kinlay kens o' the cave?" continued Jack.
"Doubtless," said Colin.
David Flett raised his eyebrows at this, and I thought of his conversation with the pilot.
"It's no' possible that Carver has ony hand in the smuggling, is it, Colin?" he observed.
"Weel, captain, I wonldna like to assert publicly that Carver is a smuggler himself," said Colin; "but I shouldna be surprised though it turn out as I suspect."
"It's a lie ye tell!" furiously exclaimed Tom Kinlay, suddenly revealing himself, and shaking his fist in Lothian's face. "It's a lie ye tell, ye drivelling auld idiot! And if ye canna prove what ye say, maybe ye'll deny it?"
Colin Lothian stood up and said coolly:
"Now just hold yer tongue, Kinlay. I ken mair then I hae said. And as to denyin' it, that I willna do. Nay, threaten as ye will, I carena. What I say is perfectly true. Carver Kinlay's a smuggler!"