In reply to our questions, he informed us that he had seen two Englishmen only the day before, such as the police said we were inquiring for; one of them was blind, the other dumb.
Indeed he was sure of this, for the reason that he had carried their bag for them down to the harbour whence the Palermo boat sailed.

We pricked up our ears on hearing this.

If his story was correct, and Kitwater and Codd had visited Sicily, then without a doubt Hayle must have gone there too.

But we had no desire to allow ourselves to be taken in again.

It might be another of Hayle's tricks, and for this reason we questioned the boy more closely; he adhered, however, to his story without a variation.