"She said yes because, ever since this morning, some one has been squeezing dear papa's throat."
"Well, she'll say yes presently so that it shan't be squeezed a little tighter."
The man bent down:
"How's the old chap doing?"
"Impossible to say!" growled the woman, who held the cord. "He told his daughter not to give in, said that he'd rather die. Since then, you'd think he's sleeping. It's two days since he had anything to eat."
"All this sort of thing," retorted the sentry, moving off, "isn't business. Rolleston ought to be on deck. Suppose something happened, suppose we were to be attacked, suppose the enclosure was invaded!"
"In that case, I've got orders to finish the old man off."
"That wouldn't make us come out on top."
A short time elapsed. The two women talked in very low tones. At moments Simon seemed to hear raised voices from the cabin:
"Listen," he said. "That's Rolleston, isn't it?"