"Sir, if you'll listen to me!" roared Baldwin. "Sparks is right. Don't you see what happened? This kleptomaniac souse is the man who stole the emerald from you last night! Who else could have hit you as hard as that? And didn't he act last night exactly as he's acting to-night, sir? Look here: you were standing near where you are now. And what did he do? He did exactly what we saw him do to-night — he chucked that jewel through the nearest port, which happened to be Dr. Kyle's, and it landed behind the trunk… He's drunk, sir, and not responsible; but that's what happened…"
There was an awed silence.
"By God!" said Captain Whistler. "By God!… But wait! It was returned to Lord Sturton—"
"Sir," said Baldwin wearily, "don't you realise that this souse's niece and their crowd have been trying to protect him all the time? One of 'em returned it, that's all, and I sort of admire the sport who did. The drunk stole it again, so they decided they'd put it back in the doc's cabin where the drunk had a fixed idea it ought to go, and then tip off somebody to find it. Only we wouldn't let them explain, sir. We — er — we owe 'em an apology."
"One of you," said the captain crisply, "go to Lord Sturton; present my compliments, and say that I will wait on him immediately. Get me some ropes and tie this lubber up. You!" said Captain Whistler, evidently addressing Uncle Jules, "is — this — true?"
Morgan risked a look. Captain Whistler's back was turned among the group of figures on the deck, so that Morgan could not see the new damage to his face. But he saw Uncle Jules struggling to sit upright among the hands that held him. With a fierce expression of concentration on his face, Uncle Jules wrenched his vast shoulders and flung off the hands. A solitary pair of shoes remained gripped close to him. With a last effort he sent the shoes sailing overboard; then he breathed deeply, smiled, rolled over gently on the deck, and began to snore. "Ha, whee!" breathed Uncle Jules, with a long sigh of contentment.
"Take him away," said Whistler, "and lock him up."
A trampling of feet ensued. Morgan, about to get up, was restrained by Valvick.
"It iss all right!" he whispered fiercely. "Ay know how seafaring men iss. Dey get hawful mad, but dey will not prosecute if dey t'ink a mann iss drunk. De code iss dat whatever you do when you iss drunk, a yentleman goes light on. Shh! Ay know. Listen—!"
They listened carefully while Captain Whistler relieved his mind for some moments. Then he took on a more