Of course he still deferred to Justinian as ostensible head of all things, but it was he who made all suggestions, and the Demarch did little else than agree to all his propositions. First of all, Maurice, getting from Justinian the key of the iron gate, sent Temistocles down the staircase to call up Alexandros and the two Melnosians, in order to concentrate in one spot all the survivors of the island, and decide upon a course of action. When they came up to the vantage-point, Temistocles locked the iron gate again, and restored the key to his master, after which all the men sat down to consider the position of affairs.
It was now noon, and the sun at his zenith was blazing hotly down on the lava rocks of Melnos, which, flinging back the glare, rendered the heat almost intolerable. The pirates, having drawn up their boats on the beach inside the harbor, had retreated to their old camp, the tents of which, untouched by the Melnosians, were still standing. There they evidently intended to remain until it grew cooler, in order to assault the palisade, quite ignorant that the inhabitants of Melnos were all dead, and that the volcano was on the point of bursting out in eruption. Had they known this latter fact, they would speedily have fled away from the ill-omened spot; but Maurice was glad they were thus ignorant, as he wished to use one of their boats, in order that himself and his party might escape from the coming explosion of the mountain.
“Do you think the pirates will assault the palisade this afternoon, uncle?” asked Maurice, anxious for the old warrior’s opinion.
“No, I don’t think so,” replied Justinian, shaking his head. “They have evidently been rowing here all the morning, and are tired out. It is probable they will sleep all the afternoon, and attack us just when it grows dusk. What do you propose to do, Maurice?”
“First, pull down the palisade.”
“What! and thus lose our only defence! You are mad!”
“There is some method in my madness, as you will see, uncle. I wish to pull down the barrier, so that when the pirates come up to assault, they will find no difficulty in passing up the gorge. Of course, suspecting nothing, they will make their way right into the interior of the island, while we, who are in their rear, can go down the side staircase, on to the beach, and then push off in a boat before they return.”
“It’s a good idea, sir,” said Dick, scratching his head; “but suppose, when they get inside the palisade, they should come up the stair and find us here.”
“They won’t do that, Dick, for we will lock the gate; and you can depend upon it, when they find the pass open, they will not waste their time in trying to force this side path. If they can gain the interior of the island by an open way, they certainly won’t try to pass in by a blocked one.”
“Don’t you think they will suspect treachery, Maurice?”