"You were in a small boat attached to some steamer?"
"Dat's it. Da had been usin' de small boat fo' surnt'ing, and left her overboard."
"Were you cut adrift?"
"I don't tink I was—but I aint shuah nohow."
"What boat was it?"
"De Harrison, from Brooklyn, bound to Cuba."
"Did you ship on her after you left Putnam Hall in such a hurry?
"I did, cos I didn't want de police to coted me. But, say, as true as I stand heah—mean sit heah—I aint guilty of stealin' dem watches an' t'ings, no I aint!"
And Aleck raised both hands earnestly. "Captain Putnam made a great mistake when he dun suspect me."
"We know it," answered Dick quietly. "We thought you innocent all along, Aleck."