“I’m afraid you are deluding yourself,” said Mullen, shaking his head. “When he fell overboard——”
“You mean if he fell overboard,” interrupted Bill.
“Why, you surely don’t doubt that!” exclaimed Mullen; “a splash is heard and following that a canvass of the ship shows that Jack Ready is missing. If he wasn’t drowned, where is he?”
“I admit that it sounds like a poser,” said Bill. “See here, I’m not absolutely certain that he did go overboard at all.”
“What?” Mullen stared at Raynor as if he thought he had suddenly been bereft of his senses.
“I mean what I say,” repeated Bill slowly. “I’m not sure that he did go overboard.”
“In that case he must be on board the ship.”
“Exactly.”
“But why should he be hiding?”
“He’s not hiding.”