And half an hour later, when the canoe had reached the creek again, Jack called out:
"Seven guns! They fired seven guns!"
"May heaven be praised sevenfold!" was Frank's reply.
Deeply moved, Jenny seized Fritz's hand. Then she flung herself into the arms of Mme. Zermatt, who wiped away her tears and kissed her.
There was no doubt now about the presence of the ship. For some reason or another it must be lying up in one of the bays along the eastern coast. Possibly it had not been obliged to leave the bay during the storm; now, it would not leave without having got into direct communication with the inhabitants of this unknown land, and perhaps the best course would be to wait until it came in sight of the bay.
"No, let us go, let us go!" Jack insisted. "Let us go at once!"
But the cautious Ernest suggested some considerations of which M. Zermatt expressed approval.
How were they to find out what the ship's nationality was? Was it not possible that she might be manned by pirates who, as every one knows, were very numerous in the waters of the Indian Ocean at this period?
"Well," Fritz declared, "they must be answered as quickly as possible."
"Yes, yes, they must!" Jenny repeated, unable to control her impatience.