“Then why did you let it fall in our hands?” asked Phil.
“If it hadn’t been for Dave, it would have gone overboard,” put in Roger.
“Humph!” The man fell back a little. “Well, I am thankful for that. But you boys had no right to look at it,” he grumbled.
“Why, it’s only a chart, isn’t it?” asked the senator’s son, curiously.
“Never mind what it is!” answered Andrew Geswick, sharply. “Did you read what was on it?” he demanded, an instant later.
“We saw it was a chart,” answered Dave, and looked knowingly at his chums, to make them keep silent.
“It—er—it belongs to Mr. Pardell and he is very particular about it,” went on the Englishman. And then without another word he walked away.
“My, isn’t he sweet!” muttered Phil.
“Just as sweet as a can of sour milk,” answered the senator’s son. “Dave, I guess you wish you had allowed that map to blow overboard.”
“Not exactly that, Roger. But he might have been a little more thankful for saving something that he thinks so valuable.”