Oliver looked out of the open cabin window as if expecting to see a party of the people coming, but he only made out something living in one of the pools left by the flood wave.
“I’m very sorry, gentlemen, the captain and I undertook to cruise with you along the New Guinea coast; but man proposes and—you know the rest. Here we shall have to stay till some vessel comes in sight to take us off, and to that end I propose that to-morrow morning we begin to make expeditions to the coast, and set up a spar here and there with a bit of bunting showing for a signal of distress.”
“No, don’t—that is—not yet,” said Oliver, excitedly. “No place that you could have found would have equalled this.”
“If we have no more eruptions,” said Drew.
“And earthquake waves,” added Panton.
“I think we have been most fortunate,” cried Oliver.
“Oh, well, if you’re satisfied, gentlemen,” said the mate, “I’m sure I am. You mean to begin looking for your bits of stone and butterflies then, here?”
“Of course,” cried Oliver; “and we can live on board just as if we were at sea.”
“Oh, yes,” said the mate drily; “and you’ll always be able to find the brig. She won’t stir just yet, and there’s no need to lower down an anchor. Very well, then, gentlemen, so be it; and now, if you please, we’ll go down and make our way across yonder where those trees are standing, and do our duty by our poor dead friend.”
Silence fell upon the group at this, and an hour later the whole of the crew were standing upon an eminence about a couple of miles from the ship, where the earthquake wave had passed on, leaving the beautiful trees and undergrowth uninjured, and save at the edge they had escaped the storm.