You can give the real reason of our
defeat, but do not say a word of blame to anyone, for we know not
who was the author of the blackguardly act.
"Of course, the matter cannot be kept altogether a secret, for it
will be my duty to lay it before the committee. I shall make no
protest. If they choose to institute an inquiry they must do so,
but I shall take no steps in the matter, and it is unlikely in the
extreme that we shall ever know who did it. I shall pay you all
winning money, for that you did not win was no fault of yours. One
thing I will wager, though I am not a betting man, and that is,
that the next time we meet the Phantom we shall beat her, by as
much as we should have done today, but for this accident."
The appearance of the Osprey as she sailed into the anchorage,
without topmast or bowsprit, excited great attention; and many of
the yachtsmen came on board to inquire how the disaster had
happened. To save going through the story a score of times, Frank
had the broken pieces of the bobstay bar brought up and laid on the
deck near the tiller, and in reply to inquiries simply pointed to
them, saying:
"I think that tells the tale for itself.
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