Bolitho walked slowly to the stern windows and leaned out over the water as if to clear his brain. The Spaniard had seemed pleased to tell him about the French ships at Martinique, when he must have known that patrolling British ships would already know this information. He must have imagined that Bolitho had missed the main item.

He swung round as the man was pushed through the door. “Now listen to me!” His voice was still controlled, but the harshness made the lugger’s master start to quiver uncontrollably. “You lied to me! I warned you what would happen, did I not?” He dropped his voice still further. “Now just once more. Where were you bound?”

The man swayed. “Please, excellency! They kill me if they know!”

“And I will kill you if you keep me waiting!” He saw Herrick’s face watching him from the doorway with fixed fascination.

“We sail for Mola Island, Captain.” The man seemed to have shrunk in size. “The cargo was for ship there!”

Herrick and Farquhar exchanged mystified glances.

Bolitho bent over his chart. “Mola Island is Dutch.” He measured the distance with his dividers. “Thirty miles to the nor’-east of our present position.” He looked up, his eyes hard and devoid of pity. “How many such voyages have you made?”

“Many, excellency.” The Spaniard looked as if he wanted to be sick. “There are soldiers there. French soldiers. They come from the north. They have ships also.”

Bolitho breathed out slowly. “Of course! De Grasse would never attempt to move his ships against Jamaica or anywhere else unless he could be sure of a diversion elsewhere and full support from the military!” He stared at the others. “Our fleet watches Martinique to the south and waits for the French to move, and all the time they are filtering down from the American mainland, gathering for a big, final assault!”

Vibart said bleakly, “We must inform the Cassius, sir.”

Herrick spoke from the doorway, his voice eager. “We could send the lugger to find the flagship, sir, and stay here in readiness!”

Bolitho did not seem to hear them. “Sentry, take this prisoner and lock him up with the others. My compliments to the boatswain, and tell him to select any of the lugger’s crew he thinks could be sworn into our company. I would imagine that even the Phalarope would seem better than a prison hulk!”

The marine grinned. “Aye, aye, sir!” He jabbed the Spaniard with his musket and hustled the man away.

“It will be two days before we meet up with the Cassius again.” Bolitho was thinking aloud. “By then it may be too late. That Spaniard has told us a good deal, but he cannot know the whole truth. If the French have been gathering a force of men and ships in this small island they must be expecting to move, and soon. I consider it our duty to investigate, and do our utmost to stop them.”

Vibart swallowed hard. “Do you intend to leave the patrol area, sir?”