“Good morning, Captain. At anchor, I see,” said Lermontoff.
“No, not at anchor. Merely lying here. The sea is too deep, and affords no anchorage at this point.”
“Where are all these goods going?”
The Captain nodded his head at the rock, and Lermontoff gazed at it again, running his eyes from top to bottom without seeing any vestige of civilization.
“Then you lie to the lee of this rock, and the small boat takes the supplies ashore?”
“Exactly,” said the Captain.
“The settlement, I take it, is on the other side. What is it—a lighthouse?”
“There’s no lighthouse,” said the Captain.
“Sort of coastguard, then?”
“Yes, in a way. They keep a lookout. And now, Highness, I see your overcoat is on your back. Have you left anything in your room?”