“I wonder,” said Thorndyke, “how much has been cut off. Do you know what the original length of the rope was?”
“Yes,” replied Rodney. “Forty-two feet. It is down in the inventory, but I remember working it out. Let us see how much there is here.”
He laid the two lengths of rope along the floor, and with Thorndyke’s spring tape carefully measured them. The combined length was exactly thirty-one feet.
“So,” said Thorndyke, “there are eleven feet missing, without allowing for the lengthening of the rope by stretching.”
The two brothers glanced at one another and both looked at Thorndyke with very evident surprise. “Well,” said Phillip, “you seem to be right about the cordage. But what made you go for the jib-halyard in particular?”
“Because, if any cordage had been cut off it would naturally be taken from a broken rope in preference to a whole one.”
“Yes, of course. But I can’t understand how you came to suspect that any rope was missing at all.”
“We will talk about that presently,” said Thorndyke. “The next question is as to the iron fittings, chain and so forth.”
“It don’t think any of those can be missing,” said Rodney. “You can’t very well cut a length of chain off with your pocketknife.”
“No,” agreed Thorndyke, “but I thought you might have some odd pieces of chain among the ballast.”