No one knows definitely
whether or not De Sylva has been recaptured. It is quite certain that
he has not landed in Brazil, but the reticence of the authorities as to
the state of affairs on Fernando Noronha leads to the assumption that
he and a few stanch adherents are still in hiding in one of the many
natural fastnesses with which the island abounds.
"The British community on the littoral is deeply stirred by the drastic
treatment received by the _Andromeda_. It is pointed out that another
ship, the _Andros-y-Mela_, believed to have been chartered by the
insurgents, is under arrest at Bahia, and the similarity between the
two names is regarded as singular, to say the least. Were it not that
Lloyd's agent, whose veracity cannot be questioned, has stated
explicitly that the _Andromeda_ put in to South Bay--a point
significantly far removed from the regular track of trading vessels--it
might be urged that a terrible mistake had been made. In any event,
the whole matter must be strictly inquired into, and one of His
Majesty's ships stationed in the South Atlantic should visit the island
at the earliest date possible. _Delayed in transmission_."
Something buzzed inside Verity's head and stilled all sense of
actuality. He was unnaturally calm. Though the weather was chilly for
early September, great beads of perspiration glistened on his forehead.
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