are right. I should never understand such things. But I find them
wonderfully interesting. You are not a native of this place, and knew
nothing of Flamborough before you came here?"

Monument Joe gave a grunt at this, and a long squirt of tobacco juice.
"And don't want," he said.

"Of course, you are superior, in every way superior. You find these
people rough, and far inferior in manners. But either, my good friend,
you will re-open your tobacco-box, or else you will answer me a few
short questions, which trespass in no way upon your duty to the king, or
to his loyal smugglers."

Old Joe looked up, with weather-beaten eyes, and saw that he had no
fool to deal with, in spite of all soft palaver. The intensity of Mr.
Mordacks's eyes made him blink, and mutter a bad word or two, but remain
pretty much at his service. And the last intention he could entertain
was that of restoring this fine crown piece. "Spake on, Sir," he said;
"and I will spake accordin'."

"Very good. I shall give you very little trouble. I wish to know whether
there was any wreck here, kept quiet perhaps, but still some ship lost,
about three or four years before you came to this station. It does not
matter what ship, any ship at all, which may have gone down without any
fuss at all. You know of none such? Very well. You were not here; and
the people of this place are wonderfully close. But a veteran of the
Royal Navy should know how to deal with them. Make your inquiries
without seeming to inquire. The question is altogether private, and
can not in any way bring you into trouble. Whereas, if you find out
anything, you will be a made man, and live like a gentleman. You hate
the lawyers? All the honest seamen do. I am not a lawyer, and my object
is to fire a broadside into them. Accept this guinea; and if it would
suit you to have one every week for the rest of your life, I will pledge
you my word for it, paid in advance, if you only find out for me one
little fact, of which I have no doubt whatever, that a merchant ship was
cast away near this Head just about nineteen years agone."

That ancient sailor was accustomed to surprises; but this, as he said,
when he came to think of it, made a clean sweep of him, fore and aft.
Nevertheless, he had the presence of mind required for pocketing the
guinea, which was too good for his tobacco-box; and as one thing at a
time was quite enough upon his mind, he probed away slowly, to be sure
there was no hole. T