“Very likely,� I answered, “but what is exercising me most now is, first of all, what is going on in that same mutinous ship, and next how we shall finally get away from here.�
“You are impatient,� returned my lady, smiling.
“Impatient for you, madam,� I interrupted, checking myself from further self-revealing speech just in time.
“One thing at a time,� she continued. “By the favor of God, we have escaped from the murderers and mutineers and by His providence we have come safe across the reef. We shall not starve upon this island, and I have no doubt that sooner or later you will devise some means for our escape. You have done so well so far that I feel quite confident; in fact, if Captain Matthews were with us, I should feel almost happy.�
This was rating my power very highly I knew, and I felt that I might not be able to justify her confidence, but if I failed it would not be for lack of trying. It was long past noon by this time. I made sure of it by looking at the sun and confirming it by my watch which I most carefully kept running during all our sojourn on the island, which indicated close on six bells, three o’clock. Our talk of the ship recalled me to myself.
“I think,� said I, “that we had better postpone the exploration of the island until another day, and go back to our landing place. If I know the men on that ship they will guess that we have escaped to this island, and they will bring her round to this side, where we may have them under view and they us. And I shall feel safer and more confident and comfortable in my mind about your future if my present doubts as to her whereabouts be settled.�
“Think you that they can come at us?� she asked, in sudden alarm.
“I think not,� I answered confidently, “but still, to make sure, I should like to have them under observation.�
Well, to make a long story short, we retraced our steps over the broken path until we reached the stairs on the other side. The descent of them was much easier than the ascent, and by four of the clock we stepped on the sand again. There before us in the offing was the ship.
We saw her people quite plainly and I doubt not they caught sight of us immediately also. They were scarcely a third of a mile away from the reef, perilously near, I thought, and we could mark them crowding the rail and staring landward. We could see them brandishing their weapons and we could imagine the yells which must have arisen from the decks when they caught sight of us.