"Well! well! " exclaimed Mr. Palmer, striding up and shaking hands. "This is an unexpected pleasure. Mr. Soule, we have met these young men before."
"Then you had better introduce me," laughed the plantation owner, and the introduction was promptly forthcoming. Then the fire was mentioned by Cora, and we were called upon to tell our tale a second time. Feeling that the two capitalists would champion us if trouble came, we related all that had occurred without hesitation.
"You've had a rough time of it truly," said Mr. Soule, when we had finished. "But you have nothing more to fear. They have found out how the village was set on fire."
"And how was it?" asked Dan curiously, and Oliver and I were just as eager to learn the truth of the matter.
"A native from another place brought in a sailor, and the two had some drinks and then got into a fight and upset a lamp right on top of an oil barrel. The sailor was an American, and that is how it became reported that some Americans were the firebrands."
"A sailor and a native!" cried Dan, and then, as I gave him a sudden warning glance, he checked himself.
"Yes, a sailor," repeated Mr. Soule. "He was a fellow with one arm."
