“Very likely. Eddie John Macaulay thought he worked a smooth trick when he sold me this end of the island, timber and all, but I’d been warned beforehand. I spent the night at St. James and went up to the dance and had a grand time. Connie Dunlevy had too much moonshine, though, and this morning he started to make trouble.”
“Listen, please!” said the girl, an urgent note in her voice. “You can’t take this seriously—but you must! You don’t understand. You’ll not be allowed to stay, after all that’s happened. Who was shooting out in the channel? What boat was that I saw sinking?”
Hardrock took the pipe from his lips and regarded her for a moment.
“My dear Nelly,” he said quietly, “I’m afraid you’re the one who doesn’t understand. Did you ever hear of Danny Gallagher?”
Her eyes opened at that. “Danny? Why of course! His father Vesty owns the sawmill down at the head of the island. But Danny has been away two years, in Arizona.”
“And I’ve come from Arizona,” said Hardrock. “That’s where I got my nickname. I’ve been running a mine out there, and Danny has been working with me. He’s a fine boy, Danny is! He told me so much about the islands that I came up here when I got a year off, and I’m going to settle down in a cabin here under the trees, and finish writing a mining book for engineers. Danny has written his father about me. I meant to look up Vesty, but haven’t had a chance yet.”
The troubled comprehension in the blue eyes of the girl deepened at this.
“Why didn’t you do it first?” she broke out. “If people knew that Danny had sent you here, and Vesty Gallagher would answer for you, there’d have been no trouble! Vesty is a big man on the island. A word from him—”
“My dear girl, I stand on my own feet,” said Hardrock quietly. “The sunken boat you saw was mine. Two of Connie’s friends got after me. I suppose they thought it was quite safe, for the rain was coming down in sheets and one could scarcely see three hundred yards. They ran me down before I knew what they were up to. Fortunately, I had time to cut the canoe loose and get into her, and then I opened up on the two rascals with my shotgun, and gave them plenty. Never fear! When I go over to St. James I’ll know ’em again, and take a little punishment out of them for the loss of that motorboat. Satisfied, are you?”
Under his twinkling gray eyes, the girl laughed a little.