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The crew told me so much about their fishing adventures that I longed to go to the island with them. Suddenly Eric gave me a nudge. The conversation stopped, and we all looked back at old Hrolfur. Now he's talking to himself. We all held our breath and listened. Hrolfur sat like a statue, holding the rudder-lines. His eyes wore a far-away look and a curious smile of happiness played over his face.
But his second impulse was to doubt the whole story and look upon it as a mere fabrication got up in the vague hope of preventing him from reporting the fight to the doctor. It was absurd to suppose Gilks had cut the rudder-lines. Not that it was an action of which he would be incapable. On that score the accusation was likely enough.
Then it was but empty glory that hung in the balance, while now I settled my feet more firmly, and lengthening my stroke, pulled with a will. Lisbeth sat up, and I saw her fingers tighten upon the rudder-lines. "You asked me to row, you know," I said in response to her look. "Yo ho!" roared Scarlet Sam in the gruffest of nautical tones.
"Think of that chap being captain," said Parson, standing up on the back seat, with the rudder-lines in his hands so as to command a good view of the stream ahead. "He couldn't row as well as old Bosher there."
"Well, some one must have been cheating," said Parson, a trifle warmly, "when he cut my rudder-lines; and he's not likely to be one of our fellows much more likely to be a schoolhouse cad!" "I'll fight you, you know, Parson!" put in Telson. Riddell saw it was time to interfere. The conversation was drifting into an unprofitable channel, from which it would scarcely work its way out unassisted.
In fact, now that he came to think of it, he rather fancied he had one or two. He proceeded to get one ready, and the two martyrs to the cause stepped in. Dunstable settled himself in the stern, and collected the rudder-lines. "Hullo," said Linton, "aren't you going to row?" "It may be only my foolish fancy," replied Dunstable, "but I rather think you're going to do that. I'll steer."
Eloquence of Bloomfield who crieth Order under the form I see Telson hanging on. I hang too and am removed speaking nobly. Large tea at Parson's the cake being beastly. Riddell it seems hath cut the rudder-lines. I indignate and cut him with a razor I remove two corns from my nether foot."
I could discover nothing," said the captain. "You mean to say you don't know who cut the rudder-lines?" "No; who?" "Gilks!" The captain's first impulse on receiving from Silk this astounding piece of information was to go at once to the schoolhouse and confront Gilks with his accuser.
Riddell had long got past the stage of being flurried by shouts from the bank. He feels nervous undoubtedly, but he does not look it, as he quietly tries his rudder-lines and settles himself on his seat. Fairbairn is as cool as ever. To look at him he might be just starting for a quiet saunter up-stream. And the crew behind him are equally composed, as they lie on their oars waiting for the start.
Mark Vandean, who leaned back and had wrenched himself round to sharply adjure something behind him in the bottom of the boat, was burned of a good warm Russian leather brown, while his companion, Bob Howlett, who held the rudder-lines, displayed in addition to ruddy brown cheeks a nose in a most disreputable state of rag.
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