I had
to."
"Er--er--Where is Captain Grant?" Skinner demanded.
"Captain Grant is free, white and twenty-one. He goes where he
pleases without consulting me, Mr. Skinner. He means nothing in my
life--so why should I know where he is?"
"You infernal scoundrel!" shrilled Cappy Ricks. "You whaled hell out
of him and threw him out on the dock at Panama--that's what you did to
him! You took the Tillicum away from him by force."
"Captain Grant is a fine, elderly gentleman, sir," Matt interrupted.
"I would not use force on him. He left the ship of his own free will
at San Diego, California."
"At San Diego?" Cappy and Skinner cried in unison.
"At San Diego."
"But you said you were going to Panama on the City of Para, the
regular passenger liner," Cappy challenged.
"Well, I wasn't committed to that course, sir. After leaving your
office I changed my mind. I figured the Tillicum was somewhere off
the coast of Lower California; so I wirelessed Captain Grant,
explained to him that the ship was back on my hands by reason of the
failure of Morrow & Company, and ordered him to put into San Diego for
further orders. He proceeded there; I proceeded there; we met; I
presented your letter relieving him of his command. Simple enough,
isn't it?"
"But what became of him?"
"How should I know, sir? I've been as busy as a bird dog down in
Panama.
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