"No," said Morgan, looking straight at him. "But somebody else might have. I'm not joking, Captain. Somebody else might have."
"You, too, eh?" said Whistler, with the air of one whom nothing surprises now. "You, too?"
"The whole bed was changed, Captain, that's all. And I'm just wondering why. Look here — it won't take a second. Lift off that bedding and look underneath at the mattress."
This, allied with Morgan's absent expression as he blinked at the bed, was too much for the captain's grim-faced attempt to listen to everybody's side of the case. He picked up the pillow and slammed it down on the berth.
"I'll do no such damn fool thing, sir!" he said in what Started to be a bellow but trailed off as he remembered where he was. "I've had about enough of this. You may be right or you may not. I won't argue, but I've got more Important things to attend to. To-night I'm going to call a conference and start one of the finest-toothed-comb searches that you ever heard of on sea or land. That elephant's aboard, and, strike me blind, I'll find it if I have to take this tub apart one plate from another. That's what I'm going to do. And to-morrow morning every passenger will come under my personal observation. I'm master here, and I can search the cabin of anybody I like. That's what I'm going to do. Now, if you'll kindly get out of my way—"
"Look here, Skipper," said Morgan, "I admit we wouldn't be much help, but why don't we join forces?"
"Join forces?"
"Like this. I admit appearances are against us. We've told you a story you don't believe, and nearly given you apoplexy. But in all seriousness, there's a very sound reason behind everything. It's a big thing — bigger than you know. And why don't you believe us?"
"I believe," said the captain grimly, "what I see and hear, that's all."
"Yes, I know. That's what I'm kicking about," the other nodded. He got out his pipe and absently knocked the bowl against his palm. "But we don't. If we did, what do you suppose we should have thought when we walked up and found you sitting bunged-up and gibbering on a wet deck, with an empty whisky-bottle beside you and babbling wildly about your lost elephant?"