The detective had a thin rubber belt stretched under his arms;
the latter served as a buoy and as a receptacle for the
necessary articles which he knew he would require when he
washed shore.
Within the belt he had found matches, and weapons, and
clothing, the latter of thin material wound as tightly as
cotton on a spool; and, as stated, as the fire burned and
blazed and crackled, he felt quite comfortable; and, as the
storm broke over his cabin, a warm glow of satisfaction
circulated through his frame.
"This is just jolly!" he muttered, as he ate away at a good
sandwich, and, later on, from his treasure belt he drew forth
pipe and tobacco and settled down for a smoke.
The whole face of the sea, meantime, had changed; a fierce
storm had arisen; the wind howled and the rain beat clown
against his refuge, and the noise of the storm but sent a
warmer glow to his heart.
Our hero realized that he had reached shore just in time. The
tempest had held back for him, as it were, as, had it come
upon him while in the sea, no power on earth could have saved
him.
Ensconced in his deserted cabin with a glowing fire, his
pipe, and a wee drop of whisky, the roar of the tempest was
music in his ears, and lulled him to a peaceful slumber from
which he was rudely aroused, later on, by a punch in the ribs.
The detective awoke, leaped to his feet, and confronted a
powerful-looking man in an oil-skin suit.
"Hello! who are you, and what are you doing here?" came the
inquiry from the stranger.
"These are just the questions I'm putting to you," answered
our hero.
"Well, stranger, my questions are first, I reckon."
"You're right; but tell me, am I in your quarters?"
"No, not exactly; this shanty was built for common use; but
where did you come from?"
"I came from the sea."
"You're a man, you're not a fish; how did you come in from the
sea?"
"I swam in."
"Has there been a wreck?"
"Not to my knowledge."
"Well, you're talking riddles; suppose you get down to plain
United States lingo."
"I fell overboard and was compelled to swim or sink."
"What sort of a craft did you come over from?"
"A yacht."
"A pleasure yacht?"
"Well, yes."
"And you weren't picked up?"
"If I had been I wouldn't be here."
"That's so. How far were you off shore?"
"Not very far."
"You must have gone over before the storm set in."
"I should say so; and now as I've answered your questions, who
are you?"
"I am a fisherman. I ran into the cove on account of the
storm, and came over here to stay until daylight, or later if
the storm holds."
"I reckon the storm won't hold much longer; it's only a
passing tempest, and so make yourself comfortable. Will you
have a bite?"
"Thank you, I had food with me in my boat."
"Will you cover a little whisky."
"I will!" came the hearty acceptance.
The two men had a long, pleasant talk, and our hero soon
learned that his new acquaintance was a really honest
fisherman--good, square man; and there are many of them on the
Long Island coast, and no truer and better men can be found in
any quarter of the globe.
When fully satisfied that the man was an honest fellow, our
hero opened up a certain subject with him.
"Taylor, did you run across a gang of smugglers in your
experience along the coast?"
"You can just bet I have run across them; and, between you and
me, it is an easy matter to put my hand on the key that locks
the door of their secret warehouse."
"You can do that?"
"I can."
"How is it you have never communicated with the Government?"
"Well, I'll tell you. I've always been afraid it might get me
into some sort of a scrape. You see, I am a man of family,
and couldn't afford to lose any time."
"I'll let you into a secret."
"All right."
"I'm a Government officer."
"Whew! is that so? Well, I might have suspected as much. And
so you did not come in from the sea, but you're lying around
here expecting to discover something? You're on the wrong
part of the coast, however; this is not the spot for you to
lay. I can give you a better point."
"That's just what I'm looking for."
"I don't know, however; I might get myself into trouble."
"No fear of that; you need only act as a guide to me."
"Well, I'll think it over."
The detective began to grow a little suspicious of his new
friend; there was a possibility that he had concluded as to
the fisherman's honesty a little too soon.
"There is no need for you to consider, as a good citizen you
owe it as a duty to the Government."
"That's so, but I owe more to my family; some of the gang are
neighbors of mine, and if it were ever known that I betrayed
their hiding-place, it would go hard with me."
"No one will ever know that you betrayed them; we will go
secretly to their rendezvous; you will point out the spot to
me, and I will manage the rest, and you will be well paid for
your service."
"And you are a Government officer?" I am.
"Tell me the true story of your being here."
"I cannot tell you more than I have already revealed."
"I am to be paid if I point out the rendezvous?"
"Yes, well paid!"
"And I am only to locate the place?"
"That is all."
"I will do it."
"When?"
"At once, or as soon as the tempest ceases."
"The storm is most over now."
"I will sail in my boat to the nearest point, we will have to
go the balance of the way overland."
"That is all right."
"But remember, no attempt at seizure must be made within
twenty hours after I have located the warehouse!"
"That is all right; and now tell me, do you know any of the
principals?"
"How do you mean?"
"I will tell you; no harm will come to the actual smugglers,
beyond the breaking up of their business; it's the men who
furnish the capital that I am after."
"I can put you on the track of one or two of them."
"Do so, and you will make a small fortune."
"But I will become a regular informer."
"Did you ever belong to one of the gangs?"
"Never."
"Then it makes no difference to you, as you will never be
known in the matter. How far is your boat from here?"
"Five minutes' walk."
"When shall we start?"
"It will soon be daylight; we had better wait until dawn."
"All right, and we will improve the hour or two we have
remaining of darkness by a refreshing sleep."