“I suppose that’s right,” came rather dolefully from his son. “Too bad! And just after I’ve been telling the other fellows all about it and we thought it would make a dandy outing for the crowd!”
“Anyway, it won’t hurt to listen to the old captain’s yarn, will it?” questioned Randy, who was eager to know more concerning the lost steam yacht.
“No, it won’t do any harm to listen to what Captain Corning has to say,” was the reply. “Just the same, it will be a bitter disappointment to the captain if we let him tell his whole story and then tell him that we can’t take part in the search he wants to make. He, of course, wants us to finance the hunt, or at least put up the larger part of the money that would be necessary. He has some funds, but not enough to see the affair through.”
Dinner was over and the boys and the men had just gotten together again when a servant came in and Captain Corning was announced.
CHAPTER XIX
CAPTAIN CORNING’S STORY
Captain Oran Corning was a heavy-set man with a round and exceedingly pleasant face. He had a hearty voice, and the boys had listened to him less than ten minutes when all felt that he was very sincere and all liked him exceedingly.
“Yes, I heard about that hold-up in Wall Street,” said the captain in reply to a question from Sam Rover. “I can’t understand why the police can’t get after those fellows and round them up. Why, those bandits are worse than the old-time pirates used to be!”
“Of course you understand, Captain, that this affair has upset us very much,” went on Fred’s father. “And it has completely changed many of my plans.”
“Well, I thought that might be so. But then I got to thinking that maybe you’d be more eager to go on the hunt for the Margarita than ever. Since I was talking to you I’ve got some additional facts concerning that wreck and the value of the things on board of her, and I believe it would be a better speculation for you to help me find the wreck than some of these speculations you fellows go into in Wall Street.”