Before she could gather her wits, Isobel intervened.
"If you had been in that boat, dear," she said sweetly, "you would
realize the topsy-turvy condition of our brains. Even Mr. Gray
himself, the coolest man on board, imagined we might sink any moment.
So what can you expect of those excitable Chileans? Besides, the thing
was done so quickly that we were swept away by the tide before any one
fully understood what was happening. Anyhow, you had the best of it,
as events transpired. What are the discoveries you spoke of?"
"Well, some one placed dynamite among the coal."
"But who would do such a thing?"
"That is hard to say. The captain believes that the culprit will be
found out through the insurance policies. He and the others were
discussing the affair one day in the chart-house--soon after the
dynamite cartridges were discovered--and you cannot tell how surprised
I was to hear him mention Ventana's name in connection with it."
"Ventana's name!"
The blood ebbed away from Isobel's cheeks, leaving her pallid as a
statue. There was a gasp in her voice which startled her own ears.
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