“But, even so; even if anyone did overhear us, Malvin, for instance, we’ve already decided that he couldn’t cripple the engines in such a skillful manner.”
“That being so, there is only one explanation. The sand is there. Some one placed it there. It wasn’t one of us. It is practically impossible that it could have been Malvin or Hansen. That lets everybody out.”
“Yes,” said Ralph slowly, “unless——”
He paused.
“Well, unless what?”
“Unless there is somebody on board this boat that we know nothing about.”
Percy Simmons broke out in a frantic yell.
“Holy Mackerel! You’re getting ’em, too. We’ll all be seeing things before we get through.”
CHAPTER XVI.
HARRY PLAYS DETECTIVE.
It is strange upon what slender circumstances big results sometimes depend. Had the fear of ridicule not held back Harry Ware from telling the others about the figure he had seen glide along the deck and vanish in the crew’s quarters of the River Swallow, a great part of the events of that night might have turned out differently.