He had received no orders as to what to do in such a contingency.  Presently he turned to three of his men and said in French: 

“Go to that stern cabin, and see that there is nothing about that would show that it has been occupied.  They have asked to search us.  Let them come and find nothing.  Things will go quietly.  If not, they say they will attack us and kill every man on board and burn the ship, and as we do not know how many men they may have on board, and as they can do us no harm by looking round, if there is nothing for them to find, we had best let them do it.  But mind, the orders hold good.  If the owner of that troublesome craft comes alongside, you are to pour in a volley and kill him and the sailors with him.  That will make so many less to fight if it comes to fighting.  But the owner tells me that if he is once killed there will be an end of it.”

He then went to the side, and said to Dominique: 

“There is nothing for you to find here.  We are an honest trader, and there is nothing worth a pirate’s stealing.  But in order to show you that I am speaking the truth, I have no objection to two hands coming on board and going through her.  We have nothing to hide.”

Dominique rowed back to the yacht.

“Dey will let her be searched, sar.”

“I thought they would,” Frank said; “and of course that is a sign that there is no one there.”

“I will go, sir,” the skipper said, “as we agreed.  He would give anything to get rid of you, and you might be met with a volley when you came alongside.  And now there ain’t no use in running risks.  If they have been told what you are like, they cannot mistake me for you.  You are pretty near a foot taller, and you are better than ten years younger, and I haven’t any hair on my face.  I will go through her.  I am sure the lady ain’t there, or they would not let me.  Still, I will make sure.  There are no hiding places in a yacht where anyone could be stowed away, and of course she is, like us, chock full of ballast up to the floor.  I shan’t be many minutes about it, sir.  Dominique may as well go with me.  He can stay on deck while I go below, and may pick up something from the black fellows there.”

“You may as well take him, Hawkins; but you may be very sure that they won’t give him a chance to speak to anyone.”

The captain stepped into the boat and was rowed to the yacht.  He and Dominique stepped on to the deck and were lost sight of among the blacks.  In ten minutes they appeared at the gangway again, and stepped into their boat.  Another minute and she was alongside the Osprey.

“Of course, you found nothing, Hawkins.”

“Nothing whatever, sir.  Anything the lady may have left behind had been stowed away in lockers.  I looked about to see if I could sight a bit of ribbon or some other woman’s fal-lal, but they had gone ever it carefully.  Two of the other state cabins had been occupied.  There were men’s clothes hanging there.  Of course, I looked into every cupboard where as much as a child could have been stowed away, and looked round the forecastle.  Anyhow, there is no woman there now.