“It didn’t seem to matter where we landed. There’s no harbor.”
“But here yer so—” It occurred to Hildegarde, for some inexplicable reason, he was going to add, “so near that hut,” instead of what he did say, “so fur from town.”
At the obvious suspicion on the man’s face, Hildegarde smiled to herself. If this uncouth apparition had inspired distrust in the new arrivals, their appearance had precisely the same effect on him.
“Y’ might ’a’ come and gone before anybuddy in the town knowed we’d had visitors,” he said, with an air indescribably sly.
“Well, you see, our business isn’t in the town. We’re nearer the diggings here, aren’t we?”
“Guess yer been here afore.”
“No, neither of us.”
“Then yer better come along with me and him, an’ have a look at the gulch.”
So he didn’t, after all, want to remain behind and murder her for her watch!