"You go along. I'm—tired, to-day."
"I'd like it so much more if you came with me."
He frowned at her, impatient at her insistence. "Stop the talk," he told her harshly. "I'm not going. Go if you want to. But be still about it, let a man rest.... I'm tired, Faith.... I'm getting old...."
"You ought to look after getting the stuff for the ship," she reminded him. "After all—you are responsible for her...."
"Mr. Ham will do that, better than me," he said. "Go along."
She went out, reluctantly, and sought the mate. His boat and James Tichel's were to go ashore, leaving Dan'l in charge of the ship. He grinned cheerfully at Faith's request, and bade his men rig a stool to lower her into the boat. Faith protested, laughingly. "I can jump down, as well as a man," she said; and he nodded assent and forgot her.
She was in his boat when they put off presently; she sat astern, while Mr. Ham stood above her, his legs spread to steady himself against the movement of the boat, his weight on the long steering oar that he always preferred to the tiller. The Sally had dropped anchor a mile off shore, and canoes were already spinning out to her. The island spread before them, green and sparkling in the sun; and the white beach shone like silver.... It was more than a coral island; there were two hills, a mile or so inland; and the white-washed huts of a considerable village shone against the trees. The canoes met them, whirled about them; the black folk shouted and clamored and stared.... Mr. Ham waved to them, talked to them in a queer and outlandish mixture of tongues, bade them go on to the Sally.... "Mr. Tobey'll buy what they've got," he told Faith, as the whaleboat drove ahead for the shore.
James Tichel's boat was well astern of them, dragging a raft of floating casks which would be filled with water and towed out to the Sally. He was still far from shore when they drove up on the beach; and the men jumped out into the shallow water and dragged the boat higher, so that Faith, picking her way over the thwarts, could step ashore dry shod from the bow. Her feet left scarce a mark upon the hard, white sand.
Mr. Ham said to her: "You come up to the trees; you can be cool there while we're at our business."
But Faith shook her head. "I'm going to take a walk," she said. "I want to get into the woods. How long will you be here?"