“Wrong, captain, absolutely wrong!” I replied. “Barry’s rifle isn’t a factor in the present situation.”
He studied me for fully a minute in silence and gave up, baffled.
“I have said you may go,” he said curtly. “Go away. All things in their order; gold first, then woman.” He seated himself at the table and resumed his eating. “Go as quickly, as swiftly as you please. But,” he called as we went out, “I beg of you—as my guests, you understand—do not, please do not, go too far!”
Behind us as we hurried into the night we heard him laughing, his laughter some what smothered by mouthfuls of food and drink.
XXVI
“Hang him! What does he mean?” broke out Chanler querulously, as soon as we were out of hearing. “What does he mean, Gardy? What’s he got up his sleeve? He means something. Probably got some of the crew waiting to waylay us, steal our canoe, or something like that. Hang it!”
“I don’t think so, George,” said Betty. “There haven’t been any of the men about since we got here. They went straight on into the woods, and Dr. Olson and the captain went with them. The captain came back alone, something over an hour ago. He said the rest were hunting gold up in the hills and wouldn’t be back for some time.”
“Well, hang it! He’s got something,” began George again, but I managed to catch him by the arm and draw him back out of Betty’s hearing.
“Forget yourself for the present,” I whispered. “Think of Miss Baldwin a little.”
“I think he’s bluffing,” I said aloud. “As Miss Baldwin says, there can’t be any of the men around here. He was talking to frighten us. We’ll go straight down to the canoe.”