A further examination convinced all present that this was the fact. It looked as though Mr. Parasyte had sent off the ten boys who joined us on the first night, to rob us of the boats. We remembered the dismay with which Pearl and Poodles had listened to the announcement of our intended removal from Cleaver Island, and were fully confirmed in our view of the traitors' purpose.
We found that the conspirators had all occupied the same tent, and one of the fellows who slept with them now remembered that he had half waked up, and heard Dick Pearl talking in a low tone to some one. Vallington called up the sentinels again, and spoke pretty sharply to them of their neglect of duty.
"It would have been impossible for them to carry off the boats if you had been awake; and now you have got us into a pretty scrape. We shall have to back out, and march back to the Institute like whipped puppies," said he, with becoming indignation.
But the sentinels protested that they had kept awake all the time.
"Tell that to a dead mule, and he would kick your brains out," replied the general. "Who stood at the south station?"
"I did from ten till twelve," answered Joe Slivers; "and I am sure no boat went out of the cove during that time."
"And who from twelve till two?" continued the general.
No one answered.
"Who was it—don't you know?" demanded Vallington, sternly.
"I know," replied Ben Lyons. "It was Carl Dorner, for I had the north station at the same time."