"Well," said kind and hearty Captain Edwards, shaking each of us warmly by the hand, "found your coal?"
As for me, I had completely forgotten our coal-mining enterprise, and was foolishly taken aback by the remark. But Jack, as usual, was "all there."
"There is certainly coal in the island," he said; "but I don't think it will prove to exist in paying quantities."
I don't think it will either; for, so far as I know, the only coals to be found in the place are the few ashes shot out by steamers passing the island near enough for their siftings to be washed ashore.
"Ah, that's a pity!" said Edwards; "I was looking forward to be a director, one day! So your trip's been a failure?"
"Well, not altogether," said Jack, grave as a judge; "we've enjoyed some good fishing, and haven't had a bad time altogether."
We paid Strong's passage to Copenhagen, and landed him there. Not wishing to enter into particulars as to his story, we gave out that he had come to the island a month ago, viâ Helsingfors, upon much the same errand as ourselves; and if Captain Edwards was surprised to hear that there had been three fools instead of two in the matter, he was too polite to say so. But after Strong had, to our relief, finally departed, and we were once more in full sail for England, we received a piece of news from Captain Edwards which gave us what is commonly called "a turn," and we were glad at first that we had not received it but a few hours earlier. We had just seen Strong off, and were sitting and talking in the dining-saloon, discussing various matters, when Edwards suddenly startled us by saying—
"Nice pranks a countryman of ours has been playing at Narva!"
"What—Strong?" I blurted in my foolishness. Jack coughed as though choking over his glass of sherry.
"How your mind is running upon Strong, Peter!" he said. "At Narva this was, Captain Edwards said; didn't you, captain?"