Now, I will show
you that island on the map. What is its name?"
"Tortuga."
"It is. 'Tortuga,' however, is only the old Spanish name; the Haytians
speak French--Creole French. Here is a French atlas: now see the name of
that island."
"La Tortue!"
"La Tortue it is--the tortoise. Tortuga means the same thing in Spanish.
But that island is always spoken of in Hayti as La Tortue. Now, do you see
the drift of that paper pinned to Rameau's breast?"
"Punished by an avenger of--or from--the tortoise or La Tortue--clear
enough. It would seem that the dead man had something to do with the
massacre there, and somebody from the island is avenging it. The thing's
most extraordinary."
"And now listen. The name of Domingue's nephew, who was Chief Minister,
was _Septimus Rameau_."
"And this was Cesar Rameau--his brother, probably. I see. Well, this _is_
a case."
"I think the relationship probable. Now you understand why I was inclined
to doubt that Goujon was the man you wanted."
"Of course, of course! And now I suppose I must try to get a nigger--the
chap who wrote that paper.
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