I wondered myself. I hoped that Cynthia was sleeping quietly in her secluded chamber, and that the others were keeping watch at the doorway of the latticed room.
"They are all lost, sir."
"A rather lame statement. It was a lovely day when you came ashore."
"That is true," I answered, "but they foolishly started to walk to the cape, and——"
"Enough! enough!" squeaked the Admiral, pulling out his watch. "We can parley no longer."
Contrary to all that I had heard of pirates and their personal belongings, this watch was not encrusted with jewels. It was a plain silver watch, and undoubtedly had been chosen for its excellent time-keeping qualities.
"It's growing very late; we must be off." He looked around the group.
"Stop drinking, some of you, and prepare the sepulchre!"
I glanced at the young Englishman. He was deathly pale, for he surmised as well as myself that it was his sepulchre of which this gnomelike brute spoke. Captain Jonas turned to a man standing near:
"You hear what the Admiral orders? Bring the blacksmith!"