“Of course they were,” said Nancy. “I told you. We saw their light in the houseboat. If we’d only known we could have captured the lot of them and made Uncle Jim our grateful slave forever.”
“Then perhaps Titty really did hear something that night,” said John.
“Perhaps the pirates I heard were the very ones who had sacked Captain Flint’s ship,” said Titty.
“Did you hear any?” said Nancy.
“They were in a rowing boat,” said Titty, “when I was anchored in Amazon .”
“They probably were the burglars,” said Nancy. “We saw their light and then you heard them. What beats me is why Uncle Jim should have got it into his head that you had anything to do with it.”
“Of course we didn’t,” said Captain John.
“Gaskets and bowlines,” said Captain Nancy, “you needn’t tell me that. What puzzles me is why he should think you did.”
Captain John was very uncomfortable.
“He didn’t believe me when I told him I hadn’t touched his houseboat, that time I went to tell him what the charcoal-burners had said.”
“But why wouldn’t he believe you?”
“Well,” said Captain John. “Look here, Captain Nancy, it really doesn’t matter.”
“Of course it does,” said Captain Nancy. “Old Sammy would never have come nosing round here if he hadn’t heard something from Uncle Jim.”