Don related what had passed; but Jem did not seem to take to it.
“No,” he said; “he is not likely to come, and if he did, they’d hear his canoe, and nail him. What time did he say?”
“Time? There was no time named.”
“Then how shall we know, my lad? We can’t watch for him all night.”
“Why not?” said Don excitedly. “It seems to be our last chance.”
“Well, I dunno,” said Jem, gloomily; “it don’t seem to me like a chance at all. But I’ll do what you do, my lad. I’ll stand by you.”
“Then let’s begin our watch at once, after we’ve put a rope overboard from the forechains, so as to slip down when the canoe comes.”
“And what then?”
“Then, Jem, we must swim to it, and they’ll take us aboard.”
“And the sharks, my lad?”