Mr. Pearce knew this, and when he saw Jack disappear he was confident the lad was safe for awhile.
It is true the leader of the party did command his men to enter, and uttered all sorts of threats against them, but they simply listened without moving.
Neither did their commander offer to lead the way.
Mr. Pearce, knowing this superstitious dread of all Chilians to enter the subterranean prisons, waited until the leader had stopped commanding and abusing his soldiers, when he ventured to interpose on Jack’s account.
As he was a man of consequence in the opinion of the Chilian chief, his words soon had the desired effect.
“Somebody,--the person you are in pursuit of--may have landed on the island last night, but this boy is a friend of mine and knows no more of him you want than I do. I vouch for his honesty, and as he has been here over a week you can see that he is not the one you are looking for, who you say must have come here since sunset yesterday.”
No doubt the Chilian was glad to get off so easily in doing what he deemed was his duty, for he ordered his men to return to their vessel without further delay.
That was the last to be seen of them, but Mr. Pearce cautiously waited until he saw the ship sailing away from the island before he spoke to Jack.
“Come out of that hole if the bugs have not carried you off,” he called out in his blunt way. “The Chilians have gone back to Valparaiso to report that they could not find their man here.”
Jack and Fret Offut had come to something of an understanding, though the latter was reluctant to meet Mr. Pearce.