An hour later they returned—without any guinea-fowl. Gerrard was in high spirits. He slapped Jim on the back.
“Let the seine rip, Jim, and get your gun, and we'll try and get some pheasants. We couldn't see a blessed guinea-fowl anywhere; could we, Kate?”
“No, Tom, we could not; they are horribly scarce to-day, Jim,” she replied demurely, as she fled to her room.
After a quiet, restful night, Gerrard and Tommy made an early start, driving the pack-horse in front of them, and followed by the three spare horses. All that day they travelled slowly, and at sunset reached the mouth of the alligator-haunted Coen, where, to Gerrard's delight, they saw a smart, white-painted lugger lying at anchor. In answer to their loud coo-e-e! a boat manned by two Malays, put off, and the master jumped ashore.
“How are you, Mr Gerrard? You see I'm three days sooner than I said, but we got a rattling north-westerly as soon as we rounded Cape York. But what is wrong with your face, Mr Gerrard?” he added sympathetically; “and you're lame too, I see. Niggers, I suppose?”
“No, we haven't even seen a nigger, Captain Lowry. But I'll tell you the whole yarn by and by, after we get aboard. Got any arnica?”
“Plenty, and whips of plaster too. I'll soon fix you up, ship-shape and Bristol fashion.”
“Thank you, captain,” said Gerrard, as he and Tommy began to unsaddle the horses; “I'll be glad if you will. I don't want to get back to the station until I look a little bit less patchy. And so if you are agreeable, I'll be glad if we go on a bit of a cruise along the coast for about ten days or so.”
“I'm agreeable—more days, more dollars. But it will cost you another fifty pounds or so above the charter money.”
“Well, I shall spend it for the benefit of my complexion, Lowry. Now, hurry up with our traps, Tommy, I'm going to eat a supper that will astonish you, Lowry.”