"And those horrid men are actually on the island with us now—at this very moment?" she breathed, the slate-blue eyes dilating. "What are they here for? What are they doing?"
"They have come to get the boat-load that we captured; the six that Goff brought ashore," I evaded, still trying to keep Bonteck's foolish secret intact.
"Then they will go away again?"
"That is one comfort; and very soon, I should say."
"But I don't understand. If they are not going to take us in the Andromeda, why have they come back to the island?"
I hated to go on prevaricating to her, but until Bonteck should give me leave, I was not at liberty to tell her the whole truth.
"Suppose we give them the credit of being at least partly human," I suggested. "Possibly they couldn't find it in their hearts to let us stay here and famish slowly. You mustn't forget that they've promised to leave us the long-boat and some eatables."
I could see well enough that she wasn't satisfied with that answer. She was far too clear-headed to take any such niggardly part for the whole.
"You're not making it very plausible," she said. "How far is it to where we're going in the long-boat?"
"Oh, it's quite some little distance," I replied, as easily as I could. "But with the sea as calm as it is now——"