"That's hard to say, my dear Helena, the words are quite incomplete."

"Perhaps the one may supplement the other," suggested Major McNabbs.

"Very likely they will," said the captain. "It is impossible
that the very same words should have been effaced in each document,
and by putting the scraps together we might gather some intelligible
meaning out of them."

"That's what we will do," rejoined Lord Glenarvan; "but let us
proceed methodically. Here is the English document first."

All that remained of it was the following:

62 _Bri gow
sink stra
aland
skipp Gr
that monit of long
and ssistance
lost_

"There's not much to be made out of that," said the Major,
looking disappointed.

"No, but it is good English anyhow," returned the captain.

"There's no doubt of it," said Glenarvan. "The words SINK, ALAND,
LOST are entire; SKIPP is evidently part of the word SKIPPER, and that's