“What is the meaning of this?” demanded Lord Hastings, looking from one to the other of the three men.
“It’s plain enough,” said Jack stepping forward. “Thompson and Black were settling an argument of some sort by the use of the fists. And Smith, I take it, was the referee. Am I right?”
“Right you are, sir,” replied Smith. “But we didn’t——”
“Never mind, never mind,” said Jack with a wave of his hand. “All of you line up there alongside Brice.” He turned to Frank and Lord Hastings. “We are on the wrong track,” he said.
“So it seems,” replied Lord Hastings, “but appearances were against him. We’ll have to look further.”
One after another the members of the crew were examined, but in spite of the best efforts put forward by Lord Hastings, Jack and Frank, not one of them could be tripped up.
“But it must have been one of them,” said Frank, after all had been examined and given satisfactory accounts of themselves. “It must be one of them. I certainly didn’t dream I was attacked. But who was it?”
“Can there be a stowaway aboard?” asked Jack.
“I never thought of that,” exclaimed Frank. “Shall I have the ship searched, sir?”
“Immediately,” ordered Lord Hastings. “We’ll leave Johnson here to guard these men, while we make a thorough search.”