Spencer Vance, however, was undaunted; the warning was not
sufficient to deter him going off and braving death in the way
of duty, and he would have gone had not an incident occurred
that caused him to await another opportunity.
As recorded, after his encounter with Sol Burton, he returned
to where his boat lay, determined to go off to the yacht, when
a second time an apparition glided to his side and whispered a
few startling words in his ear.
CHAPTER IV.
The detective stood by his boat thinking over the thrilling
position of affairs, when Renie Pearce once more appeared
before him.
"Hello! you've come back, eh?" called the detective.
"Yes."
"Well, what now?"
"You are determined to go off to-night."
"Well?"
"You must not go, there's better game for you ashore!"
The detective was thrown off; he could not understand the
girl. Renie had confessed that she had originally betrayed
him to the smugglers, and then, when danger threatened, she
came and warned him, and her warning failing, she came
tripping to him once more, barefooted, ragged, and beautiful,
and held out to him an alluring bait.
There was no misunderstanding the purport of her words. She
betrayed the fact that she knew his full purpose, and her
words implied that she was ready to throw him a larger and
more certain game. Her wards were, "There's better game for
you ashore!"
"Are you, my friend, Renie?"
"Yes; I am your friend."
"If you are my friend, why did you betray me to the
smugglers?"
"I was not your friend then, I am your friend now.
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