"I thought I was getting over all--" he shifted the topic
suddenly: "What do you make out of all this?"
"Completest mystery I ever ran into--the crew deserted for some
reason----"
"And they had a feast and a celebration before they went. What cause of
rejoicing they discovered in this place is more than I can fancy."
An inspection showed Smith was correct. What the boys had taken for
bloodstains in their first excitement were splashes of wine. The table
was still laden with dishes and eatables. Broken glass around the table
showed that the diners had followed the old custom of breaking their
goblets after toasts.
"They were having a last square meal before taking to their boats,"
speculated Leonard.
"But the boats are still here, sir," objected Greer.
"There seems to be no explanation," gloomed Caradoc.
"If we gathered this up and took it to the men, they would thank us
heartily," suggested Greer.
"That's a fact," agreed Madden, setting to work at once. "Here, pile
these plates on trays and we'll load 'em in the small boat."
The three adventurers set to work busily, carrying the provisions, which
were still fresh and wholesome, to the port dinghy which lay toward the
dock.
As they worked they speculated further on what could have brought about
such an extraordinary situation.
Pages:
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113