“Of course I know him. He is the steward.” “So I thought, until last night, when I witnessed a performance not intended for my eyes. That fellow, who has shipped with us as steward, and calls himself William Trace, is a detective, and he is after you.” “Good God! how do you know that?” “He has got a very good outfit in the way of disguise. That bushy beard of his is false. So is his wig. And I happen to know that he saw you bring the diamonds out of your berth into mine. And that reminds me. I want to have a look into that same berth of yours.” “For God’s sake, don’t trifle with me. Is what you say about the steward true?” “Yes, it’s true enough, curse him.” “Then I’m lost.” “I don’t know about that. Anyhow, I don’t mean to give in, and lose what I got last night, without a struggle.” “But what can we do if the thing is found out already?” “There are a good many things which desperate men can do. But, before we decide anything further, we’ll go below again, while our enemy is in the galley.” Suiting the action to the word, the confederates proceeded to Mr. Torrens’s berth. “I thought so,” observed the captain; “look here.” “At what? At that little hole into which you have thrust your finger?” “That little hole is one of the traps that has betrayed you. There is one just like it overlooking my berth.” “But nobody can see through it.” “At present, no. Because it is covered on the other side. Remove the cover, and put an enemy’s eye to the hole, and where are your secrets? There is no doubt about it. This fellow has followed you here, and he has now discovered all he came for. It’s lucky for you that we went shares last night, for you would have small chance of getting out of the mess by yourself.” “Who will this be? Have you any idea?” “A detective from Scotland Yard, most likely. Employed by the friends of the man who is in gaol.” “Riddell has a brother who, in my hearing, swore not to let the matter drop. My God, what a fool I am! This is the very man. I wondered what his voice and figure reminded me of. Now I know. This is Harley Riddell’s brother himself. He will tell everything when we get to Malta.” “We mustn’t let him.” “How are we to prevent him?” “He must never reach Malta. I tell you, I won’t be baulked of my share of the diamonds, and you have far more at stake than I have. It often happens that a man falls overboard.” For a moment the two villains looked into each other’s eyes. Then they understood each other, and Hilton Riddell’s fate was mapped out before that interview ended. Somehow, the steward’s duties seemed interminable that day, for the captain had taken it into his head that the chart-room required a thorough cleaning and overhauling. “Steward,” he said, “I want you to try what sort of a job you can make of this place. Our last steward didn’t half look after things. You can get the engineer’s steward to help you for an hour. It won’t take you longer than that.”