But his second impulse was to doubt the whole story and look upon it as a mere fabrication got up in the vague hope of preventing him from reporting the fight to the doctor.
It was absurd to suppose Gilks had cut the rudder-lines. Not that it was an action of which he would be incapable. On that score the accusation was likely enough. But then, Riddell remembered, Gilks, though a schoolhouse boy, had all along been a strong partisan of the Parretts’ boat, and, ever since he had been turned out of his own boat, had made no secret of his hope that Parrett’s might win. He had even, if rumours spoke truly, lost money on the race. How was it likely, then, he would do such an absurd thing as cut the rudder-lines of the very boat he wanted to win, and on whose success he had even made a bet?
It was much more likely that Silk had made this wild charge for the sake of embarrassing the captain, and leading him to reconsider his determination to report the fight.
And what followed partly confirmed this idea.
“You don’t want to get both Gilks and me expelled?” said Silk, with a half-whine very different from his late bullying tones.
“The doctor never expels fellows for fighting.”
“But he will when he finds out all this other business,” said Silk.
“I really can’t help that,” said the captain, not quite seeing how the two offences were involved one with another.
“It’s bound to come out,” continued Silk, “and Gilks will bring me into it too. I say, can’t you get back the names?”
“Certainly not,” said the captain.