“There, doctor, could anything be better?”
“No; they are playing into our hands; but there is the difficulty still. How can we give it to them? It must be something of which all will partake. Why not have some coffee made for them?”
“Half of them wouldn’t touch it,” said Captain Berriman. “I’d suggest grog, but they have spirits no doubt, and they want food.”
There was a dead silence, and then feeling nervous, and as if I was certain to be snubbed, I ventured to speak.
“Wouldn’t a tin of the soup do?” I said.
Mr Brymer brought his hand down on my shoulder.
“The very thing!” he cried eagerly. “You have some tins of soup amongst the Australian meat, captain?”
“Yes, plenty.”
“That will do then, only it must be done with a certain amount of cunning, or they may have suspicions. Depend upon it, if I am seen in it they will not take the stuff.”
“Then what is to be done?” said Mr Frewen.