Shadowing the Suspects. 245 



that it was what he had agreed for, that it was double 

 of what he deserved, and that he would get no more ; 

 he might take it or leave it. 



He took it, and went away swearing at a fearful 

 rate. 



This heat of demeanour was probably assumed, for 

 the man was evidently a very cool hand. Not only 

 had he in the morning let out and used another man's 

 boat as though it were his own, but for his evening 

 engagement he had calmly ordered another man's 

 servants to put their master's boat at his disposal, 

 leading the crew of the yacht to suppose that the 

 boat was wanted for their captain, while he himself 

 intended to let it out for hire. 



The "mysterious stranger" who went out in the 

 nocturnal expedition with the tow-net, which he must 

 have regarded with wondering eyes, and probably 

 considered to be only a " blind," and a very childish 

 one, belonged according to a not unlikely conjecture 

 to the police staff. At that time a strict watch was 

 kept against arms being smuggled into the country, 

 and it must be confessed that, with two such ferocious 

 looking characters as Dr. G. S. Brady and Mr. David 

 Robertson scheming to go out after dark, upon such 

 frivolous pretences as they had to produce, there was 

 no little cause for the gloomiest suspicions ! 



They afterwards went two or three miles down the 

 side of the bay, and met with a very decent cotter, 

 who had a boat and lived conveniently near to the 

 water. In this man's boat they had a haul or two 

 with the scoop dredge, and then Robertson produced 

 his " wee dredge," which Dr. Brady had not before 



