Part 33 (2/2)
”Go away, fellow!” remarks Dudley.
”Snake in the gra.s.s!” says Rupert.
Then they clinched and begun rollin' over on the deck, clawin' each other. Course, Mrs. Mumford lets out a few frantic squeals and slumps in a faint. Professor Leonidas Barr starts wringin' his hands and groaning ”Oh, dear! Oh, dear, dear!” Auntie, she just stands there gaspin' and tryin' to unlimber her lorgnette.
As for Old Hickory, he watches the proceedings breathless for a second or so before he can make out what's happenin'. Then he roars:
”Hey, stop 'em, somebody! Stop 'em, I say!”
That listened to me like my cue, and while I've never been strong for mixin' in a muss, I jumped into this one lively. And between me and the deck steward haulin' one way, and Meyers and Mr. Ellins pullin' the other, we finally pries 'em apart, breathin' hard and glarin' menacin'.
”Now, in the name of Mars,” demands Old Hickory, ”what the sulphuretted syntax is this all about? Come, Captain Killam, you started this; tell us why.”
”He--he's a traitor, that's why!” pants Rupert, pointin' at Dudley.
”Bah!” says Old Hickory. ”Whaddye mean, traitor?”
”He's plotting to send confederates to Nunca Secos Key before we get there,” says Rupert. ”Plotting to steal our buried treasure. See! He was just sending a message to some of his gang.”
”Eh!” snorts Mr. Ellins. ”A message?”
Meyers fishes it out of his pocket and hands it over.
”Huh!” says Old Hickory, puzzlin' it out. ”'Advise how infant is doing. Send care yacht _Agnes_, off Charleston.' Dudley, what infant is this?”
Dudley grins sheepish. ”Consolidated Munitions,” says he.
”Oh!” says Old Hickory. ”A war infant, eh? I see.” Then he whirls on Rupert. ”And by what idiotic inference, Killam, did you conjure up this rubbish about a plot?”
Rupert, he turns and stares indignant at me. Old Hickory follows the accusin' look, and next thing I know I'm in the spot light for fair.
”Hah!” observes Mr. Ellins. ”You, eh?”
Now, there's only one rule I got for dealin' with the big boss. I stick to facts and make 'em snappy.
”Uh-huh,” says I. ”Me.”
”You thought it humorous, I presume,” he goes on, ”to tell this silly yarn to Captain Killam?”
”But he didn't,” speaks up Vee. ”He was telling it to me; that is, we were telling it to each other--making it up as we went along. So there!”
”Oh!” says Mr. Ellins. ”And the Captain happened to overhear, did he?”
”Happened!” says I. ”Like you happen to climb a fire-escape. That's Rupert's long suit--overhearin' things. He's been favorin' us a lot lately.”
”What about that, Killam?” asks Mr. Ellins.
”Why--er--ah--” stutters Rupert, ”perhaps I have. But when you see two persons getting off by themselves and talking so much together, you naturally--”
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