Page:The Great Secret.djvu/211

Rh captain flung out his brawny arms and seemed about to wake, then he settled down once again to placid slumber, and the doctor proceeded to work.

He carefully examined the medicine bottles, holding up the labels to the light until he had found what he wanted, then taking out the required quantities, which he carefully weighed in the scales and methodically packed up in separate papers, he replaced the bottles exactly as they were before, relocked the chest and hung up the keys without any jingling, then with a slight touch on the arm of Dennis he stole to the door, unhooked it, and held it open for his companion to pass through, and rehooked it as noiselessly. They had succeeded without having to use the knife.

"I shall put this in the coffee to-morrow morning, therefore advise our lady friends to stick to claret at breakfast. We shall have a ship of corpses to heave overboard to-morrow night; of course, you are certain about your skill in steering the vessel into port?"

"Yes," replied Dennis. "I know where we are now, and can reach the shore without much trouble. We can easily ship a crew from Paramaribo, and sail from there over to Cadiz, where we will be able to do some business."

"Right. Now you can go to sleep, comrade, while I go on deck and relieve the ladies. I shall not turn in to-night, as I must watch my opportunity with the morning coffee. They must have their dose early, if I can possibly manage to divert the cook."

The doctor had not been more than half an hour absent from the deck, for when he once more appeared one of the sailors was striking five bells.

The night was early yet, only half-past ten o'clock, yet