For all Sasa’s challenge McLagan’s nerve was completely unruffled. He was a man of cool courage and utterly ungiven to vain imaginings. Imagination was by no means lacking, but it was under the perfect control of a completely healthy mind.
He remained for some time in the position he had taken up, and smoked contentedly for all the expectancy in his eyes. But after awhile, wearying of his vigil, he moved away, and squatted himself on the battened hatch in precisely the position which Sasa Mannik had once occupied. Here he hunched himself with his arms locked about his knees, and sat regarding the long prospect of the littered deck.
The trend of his thought had remained unchanged. And the look in his eyes retained its unvarying expectancy, even when now and again he turned them skywards searching the summer shading. Time seemed to concern him not at all. That presently the flood tide would begin, and there might be difficulty for Sasa to bring his boat alongside, did not seem to enter his thought. He sat there completely preoccupied with the thing that was in his mind, and luxuriating in the comfort of his pipe.
Suddenly he started. And his watchful eyes changed from expectancy to a flashing alertness. A sound had broken up the perfect quiet. It was a sound that had no relation to creaking gear, or the flap of sail cloth, or the raucous screaming of sea-fowl. Seemingly it had no relation to anything he understood. For he remained precisely where he was, waiting, while his eyes focussed on the spot whence the sound came.
It came from nearby to the main-mast. It came from somewhere just abreast of the carefully covered winch. There was the galley entrance there, and beyond that a stack of stowed lumber——
He started to his feet, and the look in his eyes had changed again. He was smiling. A head had appeared over the vessel’s rail. It was a head adorned by a woman’s modish hat, with, underneath it, a face the sight of which filled him with nothing but delight. He hurried down the deck.
“Why, say, Claire,” he cried. “How did you—— Here, wait. Get a grip on my hand. You shouldn’t have——”
There was a moment of effort while McLagan took firm hold of the girl’s two small hands. Then after a struggle, a little breathlessly, she jumped lightly down from the rail and stood beside him on the deck.
“I just had to come, Ivor,” she cried, gazing curiously about her while she made her explanation. “I heard about it in town, and set out right away. Mum’s back there with the car on the hill road, and I came along down to the beach where I saw your man with his boat.” She laughed. “He didn’t want to, but I made him. I asked for you, and he said you were aboard here. I asked him why, and he said because you were ‘dam fool white man.’ Then I guess I offered him five dollars to bring me across, and he nearly threw a fit. He refused. But I insisted. It cost me ten before I was through, and the threat you’d beat him if he didn’t. Even then he tried to dodge it and guessed you’d beat him if he left the beach. But I got my way. And——”