"Captain Francis left him with
my husband; I believe he found him in one of the villages inland,
a prisoner."
Trent nodded.
"He left you a little money with him, I believe."
The woman smiled faintly.
"It was very little," she said, "but such as it is, we have never
touched it. He eats scarcely anything and we consider that the
little work he has done has about paid us for keeping him."
"Did you know," Trent asked bluntly, "that he had been a drunkard?"
"Captain Francis hinted as much," the woman answered. "That was
one reason why he wanted to leave him with us. He knew that we did
not allow anything in the house."
"It was a pity," Trent said, "that you could not have watched him
a little more out of it. Why, his brain is sodden with drink now!"
The woman was obviously honest in her amazement. "How can that be?"
she exclaimed. "He has absolutely no money and he never goes off
our land."
"He has no need," Trent answered bitterly. "There are men in Attra
who want him dead, and they have been doing their best to hurry him
off. I caught a Kru boy bringing him gin this afternoon. Evidently
it has been a regular thing."
"I am very sorry indeed to hear this," the woman said, "and I am
sure my husband will be too.
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