'Is Mr. Sherlock Holmes here?' said he.
'No; but I am acting for him. You can tell me any message you have for him.'
'It was to him himself I was to tell it,' said he.
'But I tell you that I am acting for him. Was it about Mordecai Smith's boat?'
'Yes. I knows well where it is. An' I knows where the men he is after are. An' I knows where the treasure is. I knows all about it.'
'Then tell me, and I shall let him know.'
'It was to him I was to tell it,' he repeated, with the petulant obstinacy of a very old man.
'Well, you must wait for him.'
'No, no; I ain't goin' to lose a whole day to please no one. If Mr. Holmes ain't here, then Mr. Holmes must find it all out for himself. I don't care about the look of either of you, and I won't tell a word.'
