"Uninhabited?"
Burgoyne shook his head.
"I've told you all I know," he asserted. "It isn't much. But we'll find out in due course, I expect."
Shortly afterwards the bulkhead door was unlocked, and Withers was unceremoniously shown in.
"What's for brekker?" he asked. "I'm ravenous."
"Ship's biscuit and lukewarm water, old son," replied Branscombe. "What are you doing here?"
"The blighters are letting us work watch and watch," said the Second Engineer, voraciously biting off chunks of the tough biscuit. "I've had my stand-easy, and they sent me aft to get some grub before I'm on again. Angus will be here in another quarter of an hour."
"And the men?" asked Burgoyne "How are they standing it?"
"Fine, everything considered," replied Withers "Even though they are being fed on rice as if they were Chinks." He glanced at the Chinese guards. They were bunched together close to the bulkhead door, resuming an interrupted game of cards. "And Miss Vivian is just splendid," he continued lowering his voice. "We rigged her up a sort of caboose under one of the intake ventilators. She told Angus that she'd slept well, but she couldn't tackle rice and cold water, so I'm going to fill my pockets with biscuits for her. No objections, I hope?"
"Do the pirates worry you much?" asked Branscombe.