She paused with a little shudder and seemed visualizing the terrible picture again.
“Heave ahead,” said Raft interestedly.
“Then I was thrown into a boat and forgot everything until I woke in the early morning alone with those two men. It was all just like that. I wasn’t prepared for hardship as I am now, and I hadn’t a companion like you. Those two men were no use.”
“How’s that?” asked he.
“Well, they were always grumbling.”
“Swabs.”
“I didn’t mind that so much, but they were no use, they wouldn’t do things. I had to make them go and hunt for firewood, they might just as well have had no hands. Bompard, the oldest one wasn’t so bad—”
“It was the other chap you done in,” said Raft. “Well, I reckon you’ve been through it. Rum thing I saw you first when I was handling a topsail in that blow. The weather broke and I was holdin’ on to the yard when I sighted you away to starboard with the sun on you. Old Ponting was close to me and he yelled out he’d seen you before and give you your name, the Gaston de Paree.”
“And we sighted you,” said she, “I was down below when the steward came with a message that there was a ship in sight, I came up and there you were with the sun on you and the storm clouds behind, and do you know you frightened me.”
“How so?” asked Raft.