“P’raps. ’E ain’t the inspector. ’E’s paid to wait on us, so as we don’t ’ave to leave the ’ulks. ’Tain’t ’is business to look after what we do. P’raps ’e might if it wos worth ’is while.” “Very well. I’ll give you the money to-night to square him, and some on account for yourself as well. And now another question. Where does your wife live?” “Mill Lane, Chelmsford.” “That’s all right. When you get back to the ‘Cuban Queen’ you’ll get a telegram from Chelmsford to say she’s dying, and that you must go to her. You must show that to the man you’ve got aboard. What do you call him by-the-bye?” “Winton.” “Well, you must show the telegram to Winton, and tell him you intend applying for leave, and that he must go somewhere else in the meantime. He won’t want to leave the only safe hiding-place he’s got, and he’ll try and persuade you not to go, and will perhaps offer you a big money bribe to stay. You must persist in going; but after a time you must say that you have a brother at Southend who could come and take your place while you are away, and that you are sure he’d keep his mouth shut if he were well paid. Winton will _have_ to consent if you persist. Then you’ll send a telegram to me, as if I were your brother, asking me to come over to see you; and when I come you’ll show me the telegram and ask me to take charge of the hulk while you go away to see your wife. I shall come at night, so as not to be seen, and shall pretend to agree, and then you can go ashore and put up at my cottage here until I signal you to return. Do as I tell you, and play me fair, and I’ll give you fifty pounds for yourself when it’s all over. What do you say?” “Can’t be done,” he answered sullenly. “Why not?” “’Cos it can’t.” “Very well. Good-night, then. I’m going straight from this house to the coastguard station, and shall send two armed men out to the hulk to arrest the murderer you’ve been harbouring, and two more to arrest you--you can’t get far away in the meantime--for harbouring him and for being an accessory after the fact. I suppose you know what the punishment for that is? And when you come out you’ll be a ruined man. The hulk-owners will discharge you without a character for gross violation of rules.” He looked murder, and had he been less of a coward might have attempted as well as looked it. Then something seemed to occur to him, and he stood staring absently at me while turning the matter over in his bovine brain. I guessed the upshot of his meditations to be somewhat as follows: “This man, whoever he is, has me in his power and can ruin me. I wish he were out of the way, but I don’t mean risking my own neck for him. If I let him go on the hulk Winton is more than likely to suspect he’s a spy. In that case he’s just the sort of man to knock the meddling fool on the head, and the job I want done would get done without my putting my neck in a noose.” Anyhow, he looked at me curiously for a minute, and then said, in a more conciliatory tone,--