Читать книгу Wrecked on Spider Island; Or, How Ned Rogers Found the Treasure онлайн

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“But what shall we do?”

“That’s what I don’t know. All I can say is as to what mustn’t be done an’ leave you to figger out the rest.”

The captain was silent for fully a minute, and then said abruptly:

“I wish you’d bring the bottle in here; I need something to clear my head a bit.”

Mr. Stout obeyed at once, and when he returned the master of the brig had seen a way out of what promised to be a very serious difficulty.

“We’ll soon settle him, and I’ll answer for it that the crew will be glad enough to help us.”

“What is the scheme?”

“Keep him a close prisoner from now out. Say that we have discovered he has some contagious disease——”

“But anybody with half an eye can see he’s well and hearty.”

“There are plenty of things which can be hatched up. Say leprosy; that will startle every man jack, I’ll go bail.”

“Then what? We can’t leave him on board when the brig goes down.”

“How thick-headed you are to-night, Stout! Take a drink to brighten you up. Suppose the men believe he’s a leper? The result will be that they’ll insist on our setting him ashore, as we should do in case he was really afflicted with the disease. We can land him on some small key, and the matter will be settled.”