30“Well, if you need two more, for heaven’s sake rescue Johnny,” I advised. “He’ll have apoplexy.”
We hailed Johnny and explained matters. Johnny was somewhat put to it to attain his desired air of imperturbable calm.
“They’ve got every blistered thing I own, and made off with it!” he cried. “Confound it, sir, I’m going to shoot every saddle-coloured hound in the place if I don’t get back my belongings!”
“They’ve got our stuff, too,” I added.
“Well, keep calm,” advised Talbot. “I don’t know the game down here, but it strikes me they can’t get very far through these swamps, if they do try to steal, and I don’t believe they’re stealing anyway; the whole performance to me bears a strong family resemblance to hotel runners. Here, compadre!”
He talked a few moments with his boatman.
“That’s right,” he told us, then. “Come on!”
We walked along the little crescent of beach, looking into each of the boats in the long row drawn up on the shore. They were queer craft, dug out from the trunks of trees, with small decks in bow and stern, and with a low roof of palmetto leaves amidships. By the time we had reached the end of the row we had collected all our effects. Our own boatman stowed them in his craft.
Thereupon, our minds at rest, we returned to the landing to enjoy the scene. The second ship’s boat had beached, and the row was going on, worse than before. In the seething, cursing, shouting mass we caught sight 31 of Yank’s tall figure leaning imperturbably on his rifle muzzle. We made our way to him.
“Got your boat yet?” Talbot shouted at him.