“But come, gentlemen, come! I must explain my conduct; and we must be
alone for what I have to tell you.”
Pale, and with every sign of seasickness in his face, when he had first
appeared on deck, the man now seemed to have recovered, and, in spite of
the rolling of the vessel, followed the captain and Daniel with a firm
step to the quarter-deck. As soon as they were alone, he said,--
“Could I be here, if I had not used a stratagem? Evidently not. And yet
I had the most powerful interest in boarding ‘The Saint Louis’ before
she should enter port; therefore I did not hesitate.”
He drew from his pocket a sheet of paper, simply folded twice, and
said,--
“Here is my apology, Lieut. Champcey; see if it is sufficient.”