Читать книгу The Secret Chart; or, Treasure Hunting in Hayti онлайн

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“The brig Mary and Jane, from Savannah for Nassau, with an assorted cargo. There must have been a fire in the hold when we left port, for we fought it from the second day out until it got the best of us, and we had to leave the old hooker.”

“Were you the captain?”

“Not much. He and the mates took the only boat that would swim, and left us to shirk for ourselves.”

“Do you mean to say that they deserted the crew?” Captain Mansfield asked, watching the man sharply:

“That’s jest the size of it. My mates and I made shift to get to the key, an’ there we’ve been ever since.”

It was some seconds before Gil’s father spoke again, and the sailor shuffled about uneasily under his searching gaze.

“You said you were without water.”

“We haven’t had a drop since we landed; but a couple of casks of rum come ashore, an’ we’ve managed to get along with that.”

“Did you scuttle the brig before leaving her?”

“There was no chance to do anything of the kind. We kept her headed for the key till the fire got the best of us, and she was in a light blaze when we saw her last.”