Page 68 (1/1)

Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so ain He was a sunburned, reckless-eyed felloith a net-work of lines and wrinkles all over his any features, which told of a hard, open-air life There was a singular prominence about his bearded chin which marked a e may have been fifty or thereabouts, for his black, curly hair was thickly shot with gray His face in repose was not an unpleasing one, though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him, as I had lately seen, a terrible expression when er He sat noith his handcuffed hands upon his lap, and his head sunk upon his breast, while he looked with his keen, twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill-doings It seeid and contained countenance Once he looked up atlike huhting a cigar, "I am sorry that it has come to this"

"And so am I, sir," he answered, frankly "I don't believe that I can swing over the job I give you ainst Mr Sholto It was that little hell-hound Tonga who shot one of his cursed darts into hirieved as if it had been my blood-relation I welted the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it, but it was done, and I could not undo it again"

"Have a cigar," said Holmes; "and you had best take a pull out of my flask, for you are very wet How could you expect so small and weak a man as this black fellow to overpower Mr Sholto and hold hi the rope?"

"You seem to know as much about it as if you were there, sir The truth is that I hoped to find the room clear I knew the habits of the house pretty well, and it was the time when Mr Sholto usually went down to his supper I shall make no secret of the business The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth Now, if it had been the old ht heart I would have thought no ar But it's cursed hard that I should be lagged over this young Sholto, hom I had no quarrel whatever"