"Now, then, can't we go hunting?" said Altamont.
"Wait till to-morrow," urged the Doctor again.
His friend was very unwilling to delay, but yielded the point at last, and returned to the fort.
[Illustration: ]
As on the preceding night, each man took his hour's watch on the upper plateau. When it came to Altamont's turn, and he had gone out to relieve Bell, Hatteras called his old companions round him. The Doctor left his desk and Johnson his cooking, and hastened to their captain's side, supposing he wanted to talk over their perilous situation; but Hatteras never gave it a thought.
"My friends," he said, "let us take advantage of the American's absence to speak of business. There are things which cannot concern him, and with which I do not choose him to meddle."
Johnson and Clawbonny looked at each other, wondering what the captain was driving at.
"I wish," he continued, "to talk with you about our plans for the future."
"All right! talk away while we are alone," said the Doctor.
"In a month, or six weeks at the outside, the time for making distant excursions will come again. Have you thought of what we had better undertake in summer?"