“I can readily understand that.” [26] [26] “But I was soon to discover. “He returned the keys, and thanked us for our courtesy with the air of a Chesterfield. Then, with a bow, which would have made Beau Brummel stare with envy, he turned his back and walked to the bow of the yacht. “Mind you, there had not been a sound during the entire proceeding which would have called a single member of my crew to the deck, even had they all been awake and listening, and to this moment, with the exception of the one man who was captured by the pirates and bound and gagged near the forecastle-hatch, not a man of my crew is aware of what happened.” “Do you mean that you have managed to keep it a secret from all of them?” “Yes, I do mean that. It is bad enough to have the members of my own family know about it—it is bad enough to be compelled to tell you about it—without living to the end of my days knowing that my men are quietly laughing in their sleeves at me.” “I am afraid that you are oversensitive about it, Kane.” “Humph! Perhaps so; but I don’t like to be laughed at. And, more, I am not one who is supposed to submit to such a proceeding without offering the slightest resistance.” “I know that.” “And here I permitted that fellow to come aboard, to take me by surprise, to compel me to call my wife and my guests to the deck, to give up my keys and my money to him, and to do a hundred different things[27] to assist him in his robbery, and all that without one word of protest, and without offering the slightest resistance; but I said that before.” [27] “He had the drop on you, Kane.” “Had the drop on me? I should say he did! He had the drop on me, and he had the sand all out of me, as well! That is what makes me so mad whenever I think about it.” “Well, about his manner of coming aboard and leaving the yacht. You started to tell me about that?”
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