“That was why I called to him, of course,” she said. “To get him ashore and slip past him and come aboard. Was it too treacherous to be decent?”
“You—you fooled Captain Brack?” At first the thing seemed impossible. “You fooled Brack!” I laughed wildly because the joke was on the captain.
“Gardy—Mr. Pitt, are you all right? Is——”
“George is all right!” I cried. “Rest easy; he’s all right. But stay where you are.”
I ran aft to break the news. There was no need for this, however. Brack’s boat was even then scraping at our stern.
“Throw down that ladder!” he was bellowing. “Riordan! You —— swab! The ladder!”
Chanler leaned on the rail and called down into the darkness:
“You lose, cappy, Riordan’s overboard, and Wilson is captain. Come aboard, cappy. I promise you that I’ll see you hanged if it takes every cent I’ve got.”
“Ah save you dat trouble, boss,” laughed Black Sam, and fired instantly.
We heard Brack fall on his oars. The boat drifted away out of sight. Then we heard him move again. Presently the sound of a faint laugh came out of the darkness.