The merchant replied that no English yacht had touched at the port for some months, and that such visits were extremely rare.  He assured him that the stores ordered would be alongside in the course of the afternoon, and expressed his regret when Frank declined his invitation to stay with him for a day or two at his country house.

After renewed thanks, Frank took his departure with his new interpreter, whose name was Pedro.  George Lechmere was waiting at the corner of the street.

“I have arranged everything satisfactorily, George.  This young man is coming with me as interpreter, and as he speaks both French and Spanish we shall get on well in future.

“When will you be ready to come on board, Pedro?”

“In half an hour, senor.”

“You will find my boat at the quay.  Take your things down to it.  It is a white boat with a British flag at the stern.  But I don’t want you to go off yet.  I have two things I want you to do before you go.

“In the first place, I want a pilot.  I want one who knows the Virgin Islands well, and also the coast of San Domingo.”

“There will be no difficulty about that, senor.”

“In the second place, I want to find out, from the boatmen at the quays, whether a Belgian schooner of seventy or eighty tons has touched here during the last month.  She carries large yards on her foremast, and is a very fast-looking craft.  She was at one time an English yacht.  If she called here, I wish to know whether she sailed east or west, and if possible to obtain an idea as to her destination.”

“There was such a vessel here, senor, for I noticed her myself.  She only remained a few hours, while her boats took off water and vegetables.  I happened to notice her, for having nothing to do I was down at the quays, and the boatmen were talking about her, she being a craft such as is seldom seen now.  Some of the old men said that she reminded them of the privateers in the great war.  I went down to the boats when they first came ashore.  The men only spoke French, and they paid me a dollar to go round with them to make their purchases.  They took them, and also the water, off in their own boats; which surprised me, for they were very handsome boats, much more handsome than I have seen in any ship that ever came here.  I said that it would cost them but a very small sum to send the barrels off in the native boats, but they insisted upon taking them themselves.

“I don’t know which way they sailed, because I went home as soon as they went away from the quay, but the boatmen will be able to tell me.”

He went away and talked with some of the negro boatmen, and soon returned, saying that she sailed westward.

“At what time did she sail?”

“It was just getting dark, senor, for they said that they could scarcely make her out, but she certainly went west.”