“Almighty bad,” ejaculated Shem, turning pale. “It was she who ran us ashore on Ararat.”
“Well, wasn’t that what you wanted?” queried Munchausen.
“What we wanted!” cried Shem. “Well, I guess not. You don’t want your yacht stranded on a mountain-top, do you? She was a dead loss there, whereas if mother hadn’t been in such a hurry to get ashore, we could have waited a month and landed on the seaboard.”
“You might have turned her into a summer hotel,” suggested Munchausen.
“Well, we must up anchor and away,” said Holmes. “Our pursuit has merely begun, apparently. We must overtake this vessel, and the question to be answered is—where?”
“That’s easy,” said Artemus Ward. “From what Shem says, I think we’d better look for her in the Himalayas.”
“And, meanwhile, what shall be done with Kidd?” asked Holmes.
“He ought to be expelled from the club,” said Johnson.
“We can’t expel him, because he’s not a member,” replied Raleigh.
“Then elect him,” suggested Ward.