“Thank you,” said Sir John, offering his hand. “I don’t think we shall want to go any farther, Bradleigh. There will be enough here to last us for life.”
“Right,” cried the doctor, rubbing his hands. “Only to think of our pottering away our existence at home when there were places like this to see. I say, you know, Nature isn’t fair. The idea of such grand, clever chaps as we are—or think we are—having to put up with our gloomy, foggy island, and a set of naked savages having such a home as that. I say it’s quite unnatural.”
“I don’t suppose they appreciate the beauties of the place,” said Sir John.
“Will it do?” cried the doctor. “I’m philosopher enough to say that this is just the sort of place where a man can be happy. You don’t get me away from here, I can tell you. I mean to stay.”
“For the present, at all events,” said Sir John. “I question though whether Captain Bradleigh here will want to stop very long.”
“Just as long as you like, gentlemen,” said the captain. “I can make myself contented anywhere. That is,” he added with a laugh, “if I can find good safe anchorage for the vessel I command. Well then, if you think this place will do for a stay, the first thing to be done is to find the way through the reef into the lagoon. There’s an opening somewhere near here.”
Just about that time Jack cast his eyes aft and saw that Edward was standing by the cabin hatch with one of Sir John’s serge jackets in his left and a clothes-brush in his right hand, for though the clothes on ship-board seemed as if they could not by any possibility gather dust—they did get some flue in the corners of the pockets—Edward gave them all a thorough-going turn every morning before he rubbed over the shoes with paste, the blacking bottle remaining unopened and the brushes unused.
Jack went quickly up to him, and Edward began rubbing his head with the back of the clothes-brush; but before the lad could speak the man began.
“Beg pardon, sir,” he said, “but you didn’t happen to see me on deck in the middle of the night, did you?”
“No, Ned,” said Jack, staring.