"
"How do you know?"
"She never runs in here only when she comes to put her goods
ashore."
"Don't the people over on the mainland know of her business?"
"Well, a few may suspect, but I don't believe they know; you
see she will put in a load of produce, take a regular cargo
from here, and the most of the people think she's an honest
coaster. I've known her to get freight from a regular
shipping company in New York, and deliver an assorted cargo,
simply as a blind."
"How is it you chanced to run her down to her real business,
and get all the points so dead on the crew?"
"My first discovery was accidental, and since then I just
investigated a little for my own satisfaction."
"How long has she been engaged in this traffic?"
"About two years; previous to that the business was broken up
and nothing was done for a long time; but about two years ago,
the 'Nancy' was manned and put under the charge of Denman, who
is an old smuggler, and I believe that man could be worth
thousands upon thousands, but they say he goes to New York and
gambles and sports all his money away; but he must handle a
good pile in the course of a year."
"I see his crew is made up of all nationalities?"
"Yes; but they are mostly West Indians, not natives, but
fellows raised down among the Islands."
"When will she run her cargo ashore?"
"To-night, and she will do it so quickly that you'd hardly
know her crew had been at work."
"It's a wonder they have never been discovered.
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