"We heard something about this," Marston replied. "I don't like the _Mestizos_, and if they're plotting trouble, hope you'll put them down." "My partner has a horror of the swamps," Marston remarked with a smile. "If he was not keen to earn some money, he would not enter the lagoon. He has not joined me long and wants his friends to think he has a talent for business." Larrinaga shrugged and got up. "The English and Americans are hard to understand. If I were rich, I would be satisfied to lounge about the plaza and now and then gamble at the casino with my friends. I would not gamble with the _Mestizos_ in the swamps. The chances are too much on the side of the banker there. Well, I wish you good luck until we meet again." The others went with him to the gangway and when the launch steamed off Marston sat down and looked about. It had got dark but a half moon drew a sparkling track across the calm sea. Anchor lights swung languidly by the shore, and in the background the white town shone with a pale reflection against the dusky hills. Music came off across the water with the rumble of the surf, and the smooth swell splashed softly against the vessel's side. Presently Marston turned and looked to the east. "One feels an English steamer's a bit of England. She takes civilization and decency where she goes; but it will be different to-morrow when we board _Columbine_. I wish our job was finished and we were going the other way. Anyhow, it must be finished, and I don't know if I liked the line you took. Don Ramon won't hand over all the money." "It's possible," Wyndham agreed. "Still I think you urged that we must begin by paying the duties we had dodged." "I wanted them paid to the Government, not to a corrupt official who thinks he's got another bribe. The duties belong to the country." "Oh, well. I don't know a channel by which the country would get its dues. All are leaky; in fact, they are meant to leak. It's significant that official salaries are small. However, I don't expect Don Ramon is dishonester than the rest. Some of the money will go where it ought." "Perhaps it's not important," Marston said thoughtfully. "All the same, you rather let the fellow think we wanted to smuggle." "Smuggling's profitable. It was prudent to hint we had an object for haunting the lagoon. On the whole, I imagine a frank statement that we were trying to be honest would not have satisfied Don Ramon; one must make allowances for the other fellow's point of view. I hope he is satisfied, but I doubt." "He is not a fool," Marston remarked. "I expect he reckons we mean to supply the Bat with things he needs to fight the Government. If he's not altogether corrupt, why does he let us go on?" "It's not very plain. Anyhow, I imagine he won't let us go on very long. In fact, speed's important. We must finish the job before we are stopped."