"There is a lot to be done," broke in Jenks emphatically. "We must climb the hill and get back here in time to light another fire before the sun goes down. I want to prop a canvas sheet in front of the cave, and try to devise a lamp."
"Must I sleep inside?" demanded Iris.
"Yes. Where else?"
There was a pause, a mere whiff of awkwardness.
"I will mount guard outside," went on Jenks. He was trying to improve the edge of the axe by grinding it on a soft stone.
The girl went into the cave again. She was inquisitive, uneasy.
"That arrangement—" she began, but ended in a sharp cry of terror. The dispossessed birds had returned during the sailor's absence.
"I will kill them," he shouted in anger.
"Please don't. There has been enough of death in this place already."
The words jarred on his ears. Then he felt that she could only allude to the victims of the wreck.