“I don’t know, Hawkins.  A fine steel saw, such as burglars use, will work its way through an iron bar almost noiselessly, and I should say that it would go through copper almost as easily as it would through hard wood.  It is as well to say nothing to the crew about it, but I think it my duty to lay the matter before the club committee, and they can do as they like about it.  Mind, I don’t say for a moment that it was done by anyone on board the Phantom.  It may have been someone on shore who had laid a bet of a few pounds against us, and wanted to make sure of winning his money.  Besides, the Phantom might very well have hoped to have beaten us fairly, for she was just as much fancied as we were.  Take it below, and lay it in my cabin, and when we get in unshackle the other bit of the bar, and put it with this.”

It was impossible, however, when the bowsprit and bobstay were brought on board, that the crew should have failed to notice the break in the bar, and the news that there had been foul play had at once been passed round.  Seeing the angry faces of the men, and the animated talk forward, Frank told the captain to call all hands aft.

“Look here, my men,” he said.  “I see that you are all aware of what has taken place.  It is most disgraceful and unfortunate, and I need hardly say that I am as much vexed as yourselves at losing the Cup, which, but for that, we must have carried off.  However, it is one of those cases in which there is nothing to be done, and we should only make things worse by making a fuss about it.  We have no ground whatever for believing that it was the work of one of the Phantom’s crew, and it is far more likely that it was the work of some longshore loafer who had laid more than he could afford against us.  It has partly been our own fault, but we shall know better in future, and your captain will take good care that there shall be an anchor watch set for two or three nights before we sail another race.

“What I have called you up for is to beg of you not to make this an occasion for disputes or quarrels ashore.  Hitherto I have been proud of the good behaviour of my crew, and I should be sorry indeed to hear that there was any row ashore between you and the Phantom’s men.  They at least have nothing to boast of.  They have won the Cup, but we have won the honour.  We have shown ourselves the better yacht, and should have beaten them by something like a mile, if it had not been for this accident.  Therefore it is my express wish and order that you do not show your natural disappointment on shore.  You can give the real reason of our defeat, but do not say a word of blame to anyone, for we know not who was the author of the blackguardly act.

“Of course, the matter cannot be kept altogether a secret, for it will be my duty to lay it before the committee.  I shall make no protest.  If they choose to institute an inquiry they must do so, but I shall take no steps in the matter, and it is unlikely in the extreme that we shall ever know who did it.  I shall pay you all winning money, for that you did not win was no fault of yours.  One thing I will wager, though I am not a betting man, and that is, that the next time we meet the Phantom we shall beat her, by as much as we should have done today, but for this accident.”