“You helpee me cally?” he said.
For answer I took hold of one end of the case, and we bore it right up, through the thick sand, close under the cliff, where we placed it behind a big stone.
“You gottee big stlong knife?” cried Ching.
I took out a big-bladed knife, opened it, and found no difficulty in thrusting it through the soft tin and cutting a long gash. Then I cut another, parallel, and joined two of the ends, making a lid, which, upon being raised, showed that the biscuits were perfectly unharmed by the salt water.
“Fillee allee pockets,” cried Ching; and I proceeded to do so, while twice as many as I could stow away disappeared under his garments.
“Now,” I said, “we must find water and get back.”
“Waitee minute; p’laps pilate come back; no have bliskit.”
He dropped down upon his knees, and began tearing away the sand from behind the stone, after which he dragged the case into the hole, and tossed the sand over it at a tremendous rate, ending by completely covering it and looking up at me with a smile of satisfaction.
“Now for water,” I said eagerly.
“Yes, Ching find water;” and we tramped back, the loose dry sand falling in and obliterating our footprints.