“Well, yes,” returned Turnbull, somewhat more genially than he had yet spoken; “there’s no call for you to worry about buildin’ a boat now, as you says, ’specially as you’re a good navigator. You can come home with us, workin’ your passage by navigatin’ the ship. For a good navigator is just exactly what I happens to want.”
“Ah, indeed! Cannot you rely upon your mate, then?” inquired Leslie, blandly.
“My mate?” ejaculated the burly man; “well, no, I can’t. That’s to say,” he continued confusedly, “he’s the only navigator I’ve got now, and—well, no, I can’t depend upon him.”
“Do you find, then, that your own observations and his yield different results?” asked Leslie, still in the same bland, quiet manner.
“My own observations?” reiterated Captain Turnbull. “I don’t take no observations. Ye see,” he added, looking hard at Leslie’s impassive face to discover whether the latter had noticed anything peculiar in such an extraordinary admission, “my sight’s a little bit peculiar; I can see ordinary things plain enough, but when it comes to squintin’ through a sextant I can’t see nothin’.”
“Ah, indeed; that must be exceedingly awkward for you, Captain,” returned Leslie. “I am not surprised at your anxiety to secure the services of another navigator. By the way, how long do you propose to remain here? I should like to know, so that I may make my preparations accordingly.”
“Well,” answered Turnbull, “there’s no particular reason for you to hurry; I s’pose half an hour ’ll be about time enough for you to get your few traps together and bring ’em off, won’t it?”
“Oh yes,” answered Leslie, nonchalantly, “that time will amply suffice. I will do so at once, if you like.”
“There’s no occasion for hurry, as I said just now,” retorted Turnbull. “Now that we’re here I think I shall give the men a spell and let ’em have a run ashore a bit. In fact, I think I could do with a week ashore there myself. Most lovely place it looks like, from here. By-the-bye, how long did you say you’d been on that there island?”
“A trifle over nine months,” answered Leslie.