; and in a moment one of them was a murderer.

Jim halted in front of a roomy cabin, the lower part of whose sloping
floor was under water; but on the upper part were several cane-deck
chairs which were almost dry.

"That's where they spent the night," he said.

"Who?" asked Simon.

"The three what come on horseback. I was the first on the wreck with
my old man. I saw 'em come."

"But there were four of them."

"There was one what lay down outside to guard the horses. The other
three went to get something out of the rug where you didn't find
nuffin; and they 'ad their grub and slept in 'ere. This mornin', after
they left, my old man come to go through the cabin and found the old
gent's cigar-case here.

"So they went away again?"

The boy was silent.

"Answer my question, can't you, boy? They left on horseback, didn't
they, before the others got here? And they're out of danger?"

The boy held out his hand:

"Two notes," he demanded.

Simon was on the point of flying at him. But he restrained himself,
gave the boy the notes and pulled out his revolver:

"Now then!"

The boy shrugged his shoulders:

"It's the notes is making me talk, not that thing! . . . Well, it's
like this: when the old gent wanted to start this mornin', he couldn't
find the old chap what was guarding the four horses near the stern of
the vessel, what you got up by."

"But the horses?"

"Gone!"

"You mean, stolen?"

"'Arf a mo! The old gent, his daughter and the other gent went off to
look for him, following the track of the 'osses alongside the wreck.
That took them to the other part of the _Queen Mary_, just to the
place where the starboard lifeboat was stove in. And then--I was on
deck, like I was just now, and I see the whole business as if it was
the movies--there was five or six devils got up from behind the
lifeboat and rushed at 'em; and a great tall bloke a-leadin' of 'em
with a revolver in each fist. I wouldn't say everythink passed off
quiet, not on neither side. The old gent, 'e defended himself. There
was some shootin'; and I see two of 'em fall in the scrimmage."

"And then? And then?" Simon rapped out, breathlessly.

"I don't know nuffin about then. A change of pickshers, like at the
movies. The old man wanted me for somefink; he took me by the scruff
o' the neck and I lost the end o' the film like."

It was now Simon's turn to seize the young hooligan by the scruff of
the neck. He dragged him up the compan