“Lone—I kin see the spars of the Juan an’ the Sarah. Rubber and you’ll see them too.”
He turned with his elbow resting on the thwart and picked out the spars on the sea-line.
“And the Natchez,” said Jude. “Look, close up to the Juan. Cleary’s put in and we not there! I’d forgot Cleary; didn’t believe he’d pick up the place so soon. There he is. Oh, hell!”
“No matter,” said Ratcliffe; “it can’t be helped.”
“Cuss them gulls! If they’d stuck to their laying places, we’d have got the eggs soon’s we’d landed and been back last night. Wonder what’s been going on?”
“Well,” said he, “Satan’s all right. Cleary has no grudge against him. If there has been any bother, it has been between Cleary and Sellers.”
“Maybe,” said Jude.
An hour later they were so close up that they could see the reef-line and the line of the wreck with fellows working on it. Whatever had happened, business was going on as usual.
The three vessels, anchored and swinging to the tide, looked peaceful enough, and as they drew up to the Sarah, Satan, who had just appeared on deck, came and stood by the starboard rail watching them.
They fastened up, preparing for an explosion. None came.