“Your freedom from arrest. You see the policeman still stands on the wharf? So sure as you refuse to speak, and speak quickly, I’ll call him!” Lord Towyn meant what he said, and the captain comprehended the fact. He saw that Craven Black had been caught in a trap, and with the usual instinct of villainy, he resolved to save himself from the general ruin. “You swear that I shall be protected if I tell the truth?” he asked. “I do.” “I suppose it’s penal servitude for abducting a young lady,” said the captain. “Jack said so last night. Blamed if I haven’t been sick of the job, anyhow. I don’t mind a mutiny at sea, when there’s cause, but I can’t relish making war on a helpless girl, and I haven’t from the first.” “Come to the point. Where is Miss Wynde?” “At a place up in the mountains owned by Mr. Black, and called the Wilderness.” “Miss Wynde is there, and Mrs. Craven Black?” “Yes; and the servants, and Mrs. Artress.” “How far from here is the Wilderness?” “About twenty miles, if you could go direct, which you can’t. It’s forty miles by water. You know Cromarty Frith, up in Ross--and--Cromarty?” Lord Towyn assented. “You go about half-way up the Frith and turn into a river that leads up among the mountains. The stream grows narrower as you ascend, but the water remains deep, and at last your boat fetches into a small loch lying at the foot of the mountains and surrounded by them. A steep mountain rises right before you. Half-way up its side lies a wide ledge, and on that the house is built. It’s a wild-looking spot, sir, and a dreary one. It’s mighty cold up there, and I haven’t relished the prospect of spending the winter there, not by no means.” The earl asked several questions, to make himself conversant with the route, and also to make sure that the man was not lying to him. Assured on this point, he said: “Craven Black intends to return home in the morning. He must not suspect that you have betrayed him. Keep the secret, and we will do so.” The captain’s look of fear showed conclusively that he would be careful not to allow his employer to suspect his treachery. After a few further words, Lord Towyn re-entered his boat and returned to the shore. “Anything more, sir?” asked the waterman, as the boat ground against the wharf. “Nothing more--unless,” added the earl, with a sudden thought, “you could direct me to a small vessel, a fast sailer, that I could hire for a day or two. I should want a couple of men to take charge of her.” “I don’t know of any such boat,” said the waterman, scratching his head. “And yet _The Lucky_ might suit you, sir, though it isn’t a gentleman’s boat. She’s built for a fishing vessel, is brand-new, and had a trial sail the day afore the gale, when she went like a bird.” “I’d like to see her. Take me out to her.”