“Yes,” said Holmes, “I think that both inferences are permissable. Was there any other spirit but rum in the room?”
“Yes, there was a tantalus containing brandy and whisky on the sea-chest. It is of no importance to us, however, since the decanters were full, and it had therefore not been used.”
“For all that, its presence had some significance,” said Holmes. “However, let us hear some more about the objects which do seem to you to bear upon the case.”
“There was the tobacco-pouch upon the table.”
“What part of the table?”
“It lay in the middle. It was of coarse sealskin—the straight-haired skin, with a leather thong to bind it. Inside was ‘P. C.’ on the flap. There was half an ounce of strong ship’s tobacco in it.”
“Excellent! What more?”
Stanley Hopkins drew from his pocket a drab
