He then took a long
Dutch earthen pipe which was hanging above, broke off the bowl, and put
one end of the stem into the fire. When it was of a red heat he took it
out, and applying his lips to the cool end, and the hot one close to the
sealing-wax, he blew through it, and the heated blast soon dissolved the
wax, and the despatches were opened one after another without the
slightest difficulty or injury to the paper. He then commenced reading,
taking memorandums on his tablets as he proceeded.
When he had finished, he again heated the pipe, melted the wax, which
had become cold and hard again, and resealed all the letters with his
counterfeit seals.
During this occupation, which lasted upwards of an hour, Vanslyperken
looked on with surprise, leaning against the bulk-head of the cabin.
"There, sir, are your despatches," said Ramsay, rising from his chair:
"you may now put them away; and, as you may observe, you are not
compromised."
"No, indeed," replied Vanslyperken, who was struck with the ingenuity of
the method; "but you have given me an idea."
"I will tell you what that is," replied Ramsay.
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