morning an' told me Roddy had sent for him and ast him a lot of
questions about eatin' aboard ship and which way to have his berth
made up, and all that."

"A small-boat trip following a sea trip, then. What else have you
found?"

"Nothin' much. Mosquito nettin', pills, surgeon's plaster and odds
and ends of drugs."

"Let me see the drug list."

He ran his eye down the paper. Then he looked at Doctor Hoff with a
half smile.

"You didn't notice anything peculiar about this list?"

"Don't know as I did."

"Not the--er--nitric acid, for instance?"

"Nope. What of it?"

"Mr. Hoff, your son has been caught by one of the oldest tricks in
the whole bunco list--the lost Spanish mine swindle. That acid,
together with the rest of the outfit, means a gold-hunt as plain as
if it were spelled out. And the Spanish professor was sent for, not
to give lessons, but to translate the fake letter. Where does your
son bank?"