"But the address was right," said Robert.
"Yes," offered Julian, "Duran spent most of his time at the home of a Monsieur Paul Marcel; and when he came out on the verandah to go, I heard him appoint to come back tomorrow. And they talked of some kind of party for tomorrow night."
Tame as Norris considered their excursion on shore, Robert recounted a feature of that adventure that had not a little to do toward putting Norris in a bad humour. When they saw Duran, accompanied by his two blacks, very evidently making to the boat, our party fell back, not to be seen by Duran at the wharf. But what should happen but that Duran should suddenly step from behind a corner of a shed and laugh derisively in their faces.
It occurred to me that, in view of the circumstance, there might be some talk on the Orion that it should profit us to hear a word of. I said as much to Captain Marat; and we two set off forthwith in a small boat, to have a try.
We made a detour, and approached the Orion from the far side. There were other boats moving about, making us the less conspicuous, and besides, the inky darkness favored us. So that we came in under the Orion's bows unnoted. Voices there were speaking on the deck, and Captain Marat cocked his ear to them, as we held to the stays.
He repeated it all to me afterward, and this is pretty much the way of the talk he heard:
"There will be no risk. Of course, if the big one is there, we will wait till the next night."
"But the noise will—"
"But there need be no noise. It must be—"
"Yes, that won't be so bad, and it will be dark. And now I want you to know, Monsieur, that the men are beginning to fear they will never see the gold you have promised them. This being pursued is a new thing for them. And then, you have always been all powerful, and never had to give over your plans and flee. And we have come so far from—"