A ship takes his mails from Port Blair every three months, and, once a year, the Chief Commissioner inspects the tin church on bamboos, the dozen beehive huts and the wooden shanty which constitutes the Settlement of Car Nicobar. The missionary has a luxurious wooden house of three or four rooms and a verandah.
He has to flavour his diet with quinine, and so will you if you join him. Mind, I don't advocate it, I'm merely putting it to you that, as I know him, I can run down there—it won't alter our course enough to matter—and introduce you as friends of mine who—well, desire to study the flora and fauna of the islands!
He'll offer to put you up at the Settlement, overwhelmed by the prospect of your company, but of course, if you prefer it, I suppose you can build yourselves huts, or get the converted sheep of his fold to build them for you——"
"Oh, huts!" cried Ferlie. "Of course, huts!"
He paused to study her transformed face.
"Bless my soul!" said the Colonel. "And I half expected to be dismissed as an old fool for my pains!"
* * * * * *
Cyprian and Peter interrupted them making detailed lists of stores and physic.
Cyprian had been finding Peter a little difficult; Peter had been finding Cyprian, to use his own desperate expression, "as little open to reason as Balaam's donkey."
"Which saw the guiding angel and was prepared to follow it, while Balaam was only likely to bump his nose against a tree," said Cyprian. And then resorted to brutality.