“If you do he’ll think you are afraid of him.”
“He wouldn’t be so stupid, would he?”
“Yes: make him come to you.”
“I suppose that would be best,” said Syd, with a sigh. “Let’s go up here and look out for the lights of the frigate. What are you laughing at?”
“You. Come; you’re a capital doctor, but not much of a sailor yet.”
“Oh, I’m no doctor. I couldn’t have done that, only I used to go along with a friend of my father on his rounds, and saw what he did.”
“Well, you’ve saved poor Mr Dallas’s life.”
“Think so, Roy? Ah, if I could only feel sure! But why,” added Syd, after a pause, “did you say I was no sailor?”
“To talk about seeing the frigate’s lights. She couldn’t have beat up near here in such a gale as this. Whew! it does blow.”
They had been walking carefully along the gap towards the point where the further gun was mounted, and gradually clambered up higher till they were beyond the shelter of the side of the southern cleft, when Roylance had just time to clap his hand to his head and save his hat, which was starting on a voyage into the black night.