Further down, there was part of a word which they made out to be “per.” Still further down, was a mass of tiny dots and marks, too faint to be given any meaning, they were not in the form of letters, but were just like the blotches that break out on the skin during measles-here, there and everywhere. But at the left side they went right to the edge of the paper, and there was a very dim line starting there and running a little way in among the blotches.
Just beneath was a nautical bearing: “25—30—13 N.”
“You can see,” said Sam, his finger running along the left hand edge, “this paper is torn off. It is only half of a cipher, sar.”
Mr. Neale, Cliff and Tom nodded.
“So it is of no good.” said Sam, but he returned it to his pocket. “It may come that the other half will be found. I hope so.”
Then he turned and looked, with surprise, toward Nicky.
“Can it be,” muttered Sam, “that Ma’am Sib’s voodoo has worked, after all?”
Nicky was turning somersaults and rolling about like a boy who has gone mad!
CHAPTER III
A “MYSTERY BOYS” MEETING
Watching Nicky’s contortions, Ma’am Sib began to see pictures in her mind of herself in jail and she became more afraid than she had made the boys.