"I will explain for the benefit of his Majesty King Solomon, whose wisdom I have always admired, and whose endurance as the husband of three hundred wives has filled me with wonder," he said, "that before starting in pursuit of the stolen vessel we must select a craft of some sort for the purpose, and that in selecting the pursuer it is quite essential that we should choose a vessel of greater speed than the one we desire to overtake.It would hardly be proper, I think, if the House-boat can sail four knots an hour to attempt to overhaul her with a launch, or other nautical craft, with a maximum speed of two knots an hour.""Hear! hear!" ejaculated Caesar.
"That is my reason, your Majesty, for inquiring as to the speed of your late club-house," said the stranger, bowing courteously to Solomon."Now, if Sir Christopher Wren can give me her measurements, we can very soon determine at about what rate she is leaving us behind under favorable circumstances.""'Tisn't necessary for Sir Christopher to do anything of the sort,"said Noah, rising and manifesting somewhat more heat than the occasion seemed to require."As long as we are discussing the question I will take the liberty of stating what I have never mentioned before, that the designer of the House-boat merely appropriated the lines of the Ark.Shem, Ham, and Japhet will bear testimony to the truth of that statement.""There can be no quarrel on that score, Mr.Chairman," assented Sir Christopher, with cutting frigidity."I am perfectly willing to admit that practically the two vessels were built on the same lines, but with modifications which would enable my boat to sail twenty miles to windward and back in six days' less time than it would have taken the Ark to cover the same distance, and it could have taken all the wash of the excursion steamers into the bargain.""Bosh!" ejaculated Noah, angrily."Strip your old tub down to a flying balloon-jib and a marline-spike, and ballast the Ark with elephants until every inch of her reeked with ivory and peanuts, and she'd outfoot you on every leg, in a cyclone or a zephyr.Give me the Ark and a breeze, and your House-boat wouldn't be within hailing distance of her five minutes after the start if she had 40,000 square yards of canvas spread before a gale.""This discussion is waxing very unprofitable," observed Confucius.
"If these gentlemen cannot be made to confine themselves to the subject that is agitating this body, I move we call in the authorities and have them confined in the bottomless pit.""I did not precipitate the quarrel," said Noah."I was merely trying to assist our friend on the string-piece.I was going to say that as the Ark was probably a hundred times faster than Sir Christopher Wren's--tub, which he himself says can take care of all the wash of the excursion boats, thereby becoming on his own admission a wash-tub--"
"Order! order!" cried Sir Christopher.
"I was going to say that this wash-tub could be overhauled by a launch or any other craft with a speed of thirty knots a mouth,"continued Noah, ignoring the interruption.
"Took him forty days to get to Mount Ararat!" sneered Sir Christopher.
"Well, your boat would have got there two weeks sooner, I'll admit,"retorted Noah, "if she'd sprung a leak at the right time.""Granting the truth of Noah's statement," said Sir Walter, motioning to the angry architect to be quiet--"not that we take any side in the issue between the two gentlemen, but merely for the sake of argument--I wish to ask the stranger who has been good enough to interest himself in our trouble what he proposes to do--how can you establish your course in case a boat were provided?""Also vot vill be dher gost, if any?" put in Shylock.
A murmur of disapprobation greeted this remark.
"The cost need not trouble you, sir," said Sir Walter, indignantly, addressing the stranger; "you will have carte blanche.""Den ve are ruint!" cried Shylock, displaying his palms, and showing by that act a select assortment of diamond rings.
"Oh," laughed the stranger, "that is a simple matter.Captain Kidd has gone to London.""To London!" cried several members at once."How do you know that?""By this," said the stranger, holding up the tiny stub end of a cigar.
"Tut-tut!" ejaculated Solomon."What child's play is this!""No, your Majesty," observed the stranger, "it is not child's play;it is fact.That cigar end was thrown aside here on the wharf by Captain Kidd just before he stepped on board the House-boat.""How do you know that?" demanded Raleigh."And granting the truth of the assertion, what does it prove?""I will tell you," said the stranger.And he at once proceeded as follows.
