“I did tell them that. Yes, I did,” Henry said, affably. Nicky thought, “what a villain he is!” but he kept still.
“I told them that. ’Cause why? ’Cause I was anxious to get them to help me find Mort Beecher and not to waste any time. That was good sense. ’Cause why? There wasn’t any time to be lost. If Toosa knew anything about the Golden Sun—and that was the little girl you was looking for!——”
“Wasn’t it a mine, instead?” interrupted Nicky.
“Mine nothing! Where did you get that fol-de-rol? No. ’Twas the little girl, and if what he said was right—that the man I wanted was in Porto Bello—the cruiser could go and find him and hurry down and rescue the girl without wasting time to wait. I knew Toosa would see that you got out all right. I had told him to. I had given him money to look out for you!”
“Oh, yes, thought the chums, Henry Morgan did that sort of thing!”
“And then, when you boys wouldn’t come on, what was I to do? I knew there was no time to waste. ’Cause why? ’Cause Mort might be took out of Porto Bello and not ever be found again—or not for a good while. And there was a innocent little golden-haired girl and her life at stake amongst the Indians.”
His face was so earnest and his tones were so sincere that if they had not seen his duplicity already the chums might have believed him. But, with all he had done, they simply stood still and listened.
Henry, however—and Mort, too—seemed to think that the story was very convincing.
“And good it was that he didn’t waste a minute,” Mort broke in. “He has your interests at heart, has Henry. Seems like no fellow ever was as fine as Henry, seems like. You can kick me for a football if that ain’t so. He knew I was likely to be took from Porto Bello, so he hurried there with a sloop and got me and we hurried here.”
“’Cause why? ’Cause we knowed the little girl’s life was in danger. So we got it fixed up that we was doctors, so we could get into the country. That’s so that the Indians would trust us.”