“I’m not tired, but my feet are thawing, and one of them’s devilish bruised,” said John. “We’ll go back into the main chamber, but we can’t leave the cavern like this.”
“God love you, Soldier, ain’t you had enough yet?” demanded Chirk irascibly.
“No, I haven’t. There’s a great deal of untidiness about this business, and I don’t like untidiness! I must make all right for Stogumber.”
“I’m obliged to you,” said the Runner heavily. “I ain’t complaining, but the more I thinks on it the more I wonder what they’re going to say, up at Headquarters, when they knows that I let you come into this cavern without me, ah, and let you break Coate’s neck, ’stead of leaving that to the hangman!”
They had emerged again into the main chamber. John led the way across it, and stood for a moment, looking down at Coate’s body. “I wasn’t here at all,” he said.
“Eh?” ejaculated Stogumber, taken aback.
The Captain turned away, and limped to the chests, setting the lantern he had taken from Chirk on the upturned one, and sitting down on another. “I think I had very little to do with the business,” he said, considering the matter.
“Little to do with it?” gasped Stogumber. “Why—”
“You stow your gab, Redbreast, and put your hearing-cheats forward!” interrupted Chirk. “If you wasn’t here, Soldier, who was it broke Coate’s neck?”
“No one,” replied the Captain. “He fell on the stairs, trying to make his escape.”