They have their suspicions that the 'valuable of great price' is being shifted from one place to another; and they hit on a singularly bold and complete way of clearing those suspicions up.

Whom do they seize and search?
Not Mr.Luker only--which would be intelligible enough--but Mr.Godfrey Ablewhite as well.

Why?
Mr.Ablewhite's explanation is, that they acted on blind suspicion, after seeing him accidentally speaking to Mr.Luker.

Absurd! Half-a-dozen other people spoke to Mr.Luker that morning.

Why were they not followed home too, and decoyed into the trap?
No! no! The plain inference is, that Mr.
Ablewhite had his private interest in the 'valuable' as well as Mr.
Luker, and that the Indians were so uncertain as to which of the two had the disposal of it, that there was no alternative but to search them both.