barrel bad, and it got
steadily worse until I thought I should have died or had to lift the lid
and give the show away. It was just everything I could do to keep going
till the ship left."

"But did you see anything?" Merriman demanded eagerly.

"See anything? Not a blessed thing! We are barking up the wrong tree,
Merriman. I'll stake my life nothing came out of that boat but props.
No; what those people are up to I don't know, but there's one thing a
dead cert, and that is that they're not smuggling."

They rowed on in silence, Hilliard almost sick with weariness and
disappointment, Merriman lost in thought over their problem. It was
still early when they reached their hotel, and they followed Merriman's
plan of the morning before and went straight to bed.

Next day they spent in the hotel lounge, gloomily smoking and
at intervals discussing the affair. They had admitted themselves
outwitted--up to the present at all events. And neither could suggest
any further step. There seemed to be no line of investigation left which
might bear better fruit. They agreed that the brandy smuggling theory
must be abandoned, and they had nothing to take its place.

"We're fairly up against it as far as I can see," Hilliard admitted
despondently. "It's a nasty knock having to give up the only theory we
were able to think of, but it's a hanged sight worse not knowing how we
are going to carry on the inquiry."

"That is true," Merriman returned, Madeleine Coburn's face rising before
his imagination, "but we can't give it up for all that. We must go on
until we find something."

"That's all very well. What are we to go on doing?"

Silence reigned for several minutes and then Hilliard spoke again.

"I'm afraid it means Scotland Yard after all."

Merriman sat up quickly.

"Not that, not that!" he protested, as he had protested in similar terms
on a previous occasion when the same SUGGESTION had been made. "We must
keep away from the police at all costs." He spoke earnestly.

"I know your views," Hilliard answered, "and agree with them. But if
neither of us can suggest an alternative, what else remains?"

This was what Merriman had feared and he determined to play the one poor
trump in his hand.

"The number plates," he suggested. "As I said before, that is the only
point at which we have actually come up against this mystery. Why not
let us start in on it? If we knew why those plates were changed, the
chances are we should