“How long is this steam going to be?” he cried. “How I hate being tied by the leg like this, Roberts.”
“It’s horrible, sir!” cried Roberts, who was stamping up and down the deck, when he was not trying to make out what was going on upon the island, by means of a small glass. “Let’s do something, sir, or the people there will think we are not going to help them.”
“What can we do, lieutenant,” said the other, “except send a boat?”
“Let’s fire a big gun, captain,” said Bob; “that’ll let ’em know we are all alive; and then send the boat. I’ll be very careful, sir.”
The lieutenant hesitated as he watched the island through his glass, and could see the flashes of the pieces as they were fired. In a short time steam would be up, and the vessel could pass right round the island and engage the prahus, if there were any attacking. Besides, he was very loth to reduce his already short ship’s company.
“If it were not already so confoundedly dark,” he exclaimed, “we could see what to do. Ah! at last, there goes the signal.”
For just then there was a rushing noise, and a rocket went up from the island, far into the blackness of the night, burst, and the bright blue stars fell slowly, lighting up the palms and fruit-trees upon the island.
“Ready there with a rocket,” exclaimed the lieutenant. “Be smart, Mr Roberts.”
“Ay, ay, sir,” was the reply; and with a mighty rush away on high sped the answering signal, to burst and fill the air above them with lambent light.
“That is better than your big gun, Roberts,” said the lieutenant.