During the afternoon a native canoe appeared round a projecting bluff. The men had been fishing, for they brought a goodly haul on shore. Dragging the frail craft above high-water mark the blacks vanished in the direction of the village.
O'Hara, who was keeping watch, astonished his companions by giving them each a violent shake.
"What's wrong?" asked Denbigh, awake and alert in an instant.
"Nothing," replied the imperturbable Irishman.
"Then why this thusness?"
"Are you keen on a sea voyage?"
"A sea voyage?" repeated Denbigh.
"To Latham Island."
"Do you propose swimming there?" asked Armstrong with considerable asperity, for he had been disturbed in the midst of a much-needed sleep.
"There's a canoe awaiting us," reported O'Hara. "The sea's calm. To-night's the night. You told me that the Pelikan's people left a whaler and plenty of provisions and stores hidden on the island. With luck we ought to be able to fetch there, resurrect the boat, and make a dash for Zanzibar. We'd have the S.W. monsoon with us all the way, and if we fell in with one of our ships so much the better."