“You’re lucky to be alive!” Terabon said. “You got in with a crew of river pirates, but they let me have you. Did they leave you anything?”
“Leave me anything!” Carline repeated, feeling in his pockets. “I’ve got my watch, and here’s––”
He opened up his change pocketbook. There were six or seven dollars in change and two or three wadded bills. When he looked for his main supply, however, there was a difference. The money was all gone. He was stripped to the last dollar in his money belt and of his hidden resources.
“They did me!” he choked. “They got all I had!”
“They didn’t kill you,” Terabon said. “You’re lucky. How did they bang you and knock you out?”
“Why, I found they had my guns on board––”
“And you accused them?”
“No! I just said they were mine, I was surprised!”
“Then?”
“My light went out.”