I stood up in and could carry in my waterproof
pockets, but on Amos's advice I had brought my little nickel-plated
revolver. This lived by day in my hip pocket, but at night I put it
behind my pillow. But when I woke next morning to find us casting
anchor in the bay below rough low hills, which I knew to be the island
of Colonsay, I could find no trace of the revolver. I searched every
inch of the bunk and only shook out feathers from the mouldy ticking. I
remembered perfectly putting the thing behind my head before I went to
sleep, and now it had vanished utterly. Of course I could not advertise
my loss, and I didn't greatly mind it, for this was not a job where I
could do much shooting. But it made me think a good deal about Mr
Gresson. He simply could not suspect me; if he had bagged my gun, as I
was pretty certain he had, it must be because he wanted it for himself
and not that he might disarm me. Every way I argued it I reached the
same conclusion. In Gresson's eyes I must seem as harmless as a child.

We spent the better part of a day at Colonsay, and Gresson, so far as
his duties allowed, stuck to me like a limpet. Before I went ashore I
wrote out a telegram for Amos. I devoted a hectic hour to the
_Pilgrim's Progress_, but I could not compose any kind of intelligible
message with reference to its text. We had all the same edition--the
one in the _Golden Treasury_ series--so I could have made up a sort of
cipher by referring to lines and pages, but that would have taken up a
dozen telegraph forms and seemed to me too elaborate for the purpose.
So I sent this message:

_Ochterlony, Post Office, Kyle,
I hope to spend part of holiday near you and to see you if boat's
programme permits. Are any good cargoes waiting in your
neighbourhood? Reply Post Office, Oban._

It was highly important that Gresson should not see this, but it was
the deuce of a business to shake him off. I went for a walk in the
afternoon along the shore and passed the telegraph office, but the
confounded fellow was with me all the time. My only chance was just
before we sailed, when he had to go on board to check some cargo. As
the telegraph office stood full in view of the ship's deck I did not go
near it. But in the back end of the clachan I found the schoolmaster,
and got him to promise to send the wire. I also bought off him a couple
of well-worn sevenpenny novels.

The result was that I delayed our departure for ten minutes a