He blew a puff of smoke toward the opening of the cave, fanned it away from Betty, and began:
“The first thing that happened after you and the boss went up the bay, Mr. Pitt, was for little Freddy to slip into the water and go after his rifle, here. I did a dive when Riordan was taking a lunch, got up here, got the gun and got back on board before he knew I’d been gone. I hid the gun in the oil locker, back of the tanks where nobody could see it. I got through just in time, too, ’cause pretty soon Riordan comes on deck and orders me down to start the auxiliary engine, while he and the nigger gets up the anchor.
“I start her all right, but I says to myself if Riordan turns her nose out to sea I’ll get my gun and start a little mutiny all by my lonesome. Well, he don’t do nothing of the sort; just starts right up the bay, running on the auxiliary. I think that’s all right, because of course I knew it was the cap’s orders, and we was going up the same way you went. Then after awhile we anchored, and then I knew it wasn’t all right, because I tried the engine-room door and Riordan had me locked in tight.
“The cap let me out himself in the morning, because Doc’ Olson had told him he wanted me to help him with the boss and the two guys that was shot.”
“Shot!” cried Betty. “Who was shot?”
“The two seamen that Dr. Olson said were hurt,” I said hurriedly. “Never mind now. Go on, Freddy.”
“The doc’ just got me out to get a chance to slip me the news about you and where you’d gone; but there wasn’t any chance for a getaway ’cause Brack was there, and Garvin was on guard all the time with his gun. Doc sent me running first to the boss and then to Wilson and the two other guys with dope and drinks, and so on, and pretty soon the boss got his noodle working and starts framing things.”
“Chanler began to think out a plan,” I translated to Betty.
“Eh-yah,” continued Freddy unabashed. “It was the boss that framed it all up. He’s a reg’lar guy. ‘Tell Wilson to pretend to be worse,’ says he. ‘I’ll do the same.’ Wilson was fit to get up, but the boss says, no; he and Wilson were to be like they was helpless. Then the boss says to Brack he’d give him any sum he’d name if he’d sail out of there and take him home.”
“What?” said Betty. “George wanted to leave us?”