"But, George, he would hardly go about at night with a lanthorn in his boat."
"That is what he does—only it is a dark lanthorn, and with it he flashes his signals. That is what makes the men so mad. It is not my doctrine to shoot a man who does his duty. If a man is a smuggler, let him do his duty as one. If he is a coastguard, let him do his duty by the revenue."
"But, George! if he were out watching for smugglers, he would not have carried his light openly."
"He might have thought all was safe in the Rhyn."
"Then again," pursued Mehalah, "I spoke, and there was a second shot after that."
" Whoever was there waiting for the captain may have thought you were a boy. I do not believe the shot was at you, but at me."
"But I held the light up. It would have been seen that I was a woman."
"Not a bit. All seen would be your cap and jersey, which are such as sailor boys wear."
Mehalah shook her head thoughtfully and somewhat doubtfully, and paced by the side of De Witt. She did not speak for some time. She was not satisfied with his explanation, but she could not state her reasons for dissatisfaction.
Presently she said, "Do you think that it was Rebow who fired?"
"No, of course I do not. He knew you were out, and with a light; and he knows your voice."
"But you said he was in the plot."
"I said that I supposed he knew about it; he knew that there were men out in punts waiting for the captain, he probably knew that there was some fellow lurking in the Rhyn; but I did not say that he would shoot the captain. I do not for a moment suppose he would. He is not greatly affected by his vigilance. He gets something out of the trade, but not enough to be of importance to him. A man of his means would not think it worth his while to shoot an officer."
"Then you conjecture that he warned me, and went home."
"That is most likely, I would have done the same; nay
