"Nothing else could have happened, you see. That chain of events is the only one that will explain the circumstances. A rapid grasp of the whole circumstances and a perfect appreciation of each is more than half the battle in such work as this. Well, you know I got the exact bearings of the wreck on the chart, worked out from that the lay of the two stones with the scratch marks between, and then it was obvious that a straight line drawn through these and carried ahead would indicate, approximately, at any rate, the direction the thieves' vessel had taken. The line fell on the coast close by the village of Lostella--indeed that was the only village for some few miles either way. The indication was not certain, but it was likely, and the only one available, therefore it must be followed up." "And what about the painted hatch? How did you guess that?" "Well, I saw there were hatch-gratings belonging to the _Nicobar_ floating about, and it seemed probable that the thieves would use for a float something similar to the other wreckage in the vicinity, so as not to attract attention. Nothing would be more likely than a hatch-grating. But then, in small vessels, such as fishing-luggers and so on, fittings are almost always painted--they can't afford to be such holystoning swells as those on the _Nicobar_. So I judged the grating might be painted, and this would possibly have been noticed by some sharp person. I made the shot, and hit. The boy remembered the white grating, which had gone--'washed away,' as he thought. That was useful to me, as you shall see. "I made off toward Lostella. The tide was low and it was getting dusk when I arrived. A number of boats and smacks were lying anchored on the beach, but there were few people to be seen. I began looking out for smacks with white-painted fittings in them. There are not so many of these among fishing vessels--brown or red is more likely, or sheer colourless dirt over paint unrecognisable. There were only two that I saw last night. The first _might_ have been the one I wanted, but there was nothing to show it. The second _was_ the one. She was half-decked and had a small white-painted hatch. I shifted the hatch and found a long line, attached to the grating at one end and carrying a hook at the other! They had neglected to unfasten their apparatus--perhaps had an idea that there might be a chance of using it again in a few days. I went to the transom and read the inscription, '_Rebecca_. Peter and David Garthew, Lostella.' Then my business was to find the Garthews.