“But we did not exactly come in here to look for them. In fact, we suffered some injury from the gale last night, and this morning we steered for this cove, that we might be at anchor here while repairing. It was while we were letting go the anchor that the captain, to his unbounded astonishment, saw you and your companion on the beach. He immediately sent a boat on shore to see who you could possibly be; for, up to the moment at which we discovered you, we had supposed the island to be entirely uninhabited.”
“Then, of course, you did not see our signal?”
“Signal? What signal? Had you a signal?”
“We have had a pennon flying from a staff at the highest point of land on the island ever since we have been here. We have renewed it from time to time during the last two years. There it is.”
“Where?” inquired the young man.
“There!” said Justin, going to the window and pointing to the top of the mountain.
But there it certainly was not.
“I suspect that the wind made free with your flag of distress, friend; for certainly not a vestige of it remains,” said the young lieutenant, leaving the window and retiring to his seat.
Judith reappeared and laid the cloth, and spread the table with coffee, rolls, butter, fried fish and broiled chicken.
“It is our luncheon hour,” said Justin; “draw up and partake.”