“Good sleep,” Natell added, with a wide grin.
“I should say so,” Roberta replied laughing. She had a hunch that it might be greatly to her advantage to be as friendly as possible with the people of the island, because recalling the dialogue which had passed between Wat and Slim after the arrival of Nike, their attitude toward her abduction, or kidnaping was one of strong disapproval. The native women, too, were kindly disposed and Roberta wondered to what tribe they belonged. She had seen any number of American Indians in the United States and in Canada also, when she was touring with the Wallaces, but while the two who were caring for her had high cheek bones, dark eyes, and skin, they looked as if they belonged to another race entirely. While she put on her clothes, Nomie was fussing about a small oil stove, and presently the odor of coffee permeated the dwelling. Ready at last she noticed that Natell’s eyes were attracted by a string of red beads among the articles in the tray of her bag.
“Eat,” invited Nomie.
“You may have these,” Roberta picked up the beads and fastened the strand about the younger girl’s neck.
“No, no, no,” she said quickly, and glanced with evident anxiety around the room as if she expected someone to step out.
“What?” demanded Nomie coming to the girl.
“See.” Natell looked wistfully at her mother, who also took a hasty glance over her shoulder.
“Please let her keep them!” Roberta pleaded. “If you do not want anyone to know I gave them to her, slip them out of sight. I have more. See!” She pointed to other ornaments in her bag, and after a few words exchanged in their own tongue, Nomie nodded her head.
“Good,” she agreed, and immediately Natell fixed the neck of her homespun dress so that the treasure could not be seen. Her mother drew a chair, cut from the stump of a tree, before an equally primitive table and spread out a meal of cornbread, fish and coffee. To this she added, surreptitiously, as if as a special treat, a tablespoonful of honey.
“Thank you very much,” Roberta said, for she had an idea that the settlement did not boast of very much of the sweet.