The cords had been loosely tied. Undoing the knots, she next pulled away the gag which covered his mouth.
“What happened, Mr. Oaks?” she demanded. “Who did this to you?”
The old watchman sat up, stretching his cramped arms. He did not reply, but watched Penny intently as she loosened the thongs which bound his legs. Getting up, he walked a step or two across the cabin.
“Tell me what happened,” Penny urged impatiently. “Don’t you feel able to explain?”
“I’m disgusted,” Mr. Oaks returned. “Plumb disgusted.”
“I don’t doubt you feel that way,” agreed Penny. “This barge is floating in mid-channel, a hazard to incoming and outgoing vessels. We’ll have to do something about it.”
“I’m through with this job! I didn’t want it in the first place!”
“That’s neither here nor there,” Penny replied, losing patience. “Suppose you stop grieving over your bad luck for a minute, and explain what occurred.”
“Well, it was about midnight when they sneaked aboard.”
“The men who attacked you?”