“Well, it is very surprising indeed. In our sloop in the open sea a hundred miles west of here we came across thousands of these things floating in the water—literally thousands of them, all just like this one, four gourds in a willow cage, with a wooden hook at the end of a line. If it is some sort of fishing-apparatus I don’t understand how it could be used. And where did they all come from?”
Though this made me feel decidedly uncomfortable, I could hardly forbear laughing, as the thought of the sea full of gourds, and the puzzle which they would present to a chance navigator, came thus forcibly to mind.
He looked at the thing a moment longer, gave it a vicious kick as though to punish it for daring to puzzle him, and then turned away.
Mr. Millward then took him to our flourishing garden, and said the visitors would be welcome to a supply of fresh vegetables if they desired it. A huge bunch of plantains caught the captain’s eye, as it hung in the porch of the house, and he said, “Do you find plantains on the island?”
“Yes,” answered Mr. Millward, “and bananas as well. If you like we can supply your party with both.”
“If we expected to remain long it would be an object. But we shall be going so soon now that it is scarcely worth the trouble.”
We then returned to the house at the visitor’s suggestion, and he with the most formal courtesy, as though parting with a hostess, took Alice Millward’s hand and thanked her for his breakfast and said adieu to her and us.
“You will hear from me in a day or two, a week at most. In the mean time I hope you will not disturb the pigs. Perhaps it would be better if you should keep away from the higher part of the island entirely, as it might drive our game into the lowlands where it would be more difficult to find.”
After a pause, as though considering something, he added: “Personally, I should be pleased to have you visit our camp, which is on the other side of the island. But I will not now ask you to do so, for the reason that it will be difficult for me to induce my companions to submit to the inconvenience that would result from our making room for three additional persons in our boat. Perhaps on the whole it would be best that they should not know you are here at present, and until I have had opportunity to prepare them for your reception. I will let you know in time. And now farewell until I see you again.”
With this he stalked off over the savanna to the southwest, without again looking back. The cool, self-possessed manner in which the man had lied was astonishing. And we were utterly unable to determine his purpose, beyond the fact that evidently he wanted to conceal the nature of his business on the island.