‘Don’t let’s waste no more time,’ he cried; ‘let’s attack that third clump there afore it falls dark.’
They sprang to their feet, seized their several tools, and in a few moments were hard at it, digging, boring, but in silence, for their efforts were too heavy for talk or for laughter. The sun went down whilst they were still toiling. They had discovered nothing, and the first to give up was the carpenter. He sent his shovel flying through the air with a loud curse.
‘I’m done for to-night,’ he roared. ‘Where did them scowbankers hide it? It’ll have to be as Mr. Dugdale says. ‘Morrow marning we’ll start at a hundred paces from the beach. We’re not here to miss it, and we’ll have it if we rip the guts of this island out of her forty fathom deep!’
He was furious with temper and exhaustion, and stepping to a kettle that was full of rum and water, he half-filled a hook-pot and swallowed the contents to the dregs, afterwards pitching the vessel from him with an air of loathing and passion. The men, throwing their implements into a heap, came slowly to where the rum and provisions were, cursing very freely indeed, some of them groaning with weariness, smearing the sweat off their foreheads along their naked arms, and stretching their clenched fists above their heads in postures of yawning. Every man of them took a long drink, and then they slowly fell to filling their pipes whilst they continued to heap curses upon Captain Braine and his companion for not having buried the money in a place where it might be easily got at.
My heart was now beating quickly with anxiety. What was the next step they meant to take? Would the carpenter change his mind and carry all hands of us aboard? I observed him light his pipe, and take a look around with as evil an expression on his face as ever I had witnessed in it. He then trudged with a deep sea-roll in his walk down to the tree to which the boat was attached, and having carefully examined the knot, as though to make sure that the line was securely fastened, he stood gazing awhile at the little craft, as though considering, afterwards sending his eyes in another rolling stare round the horizon as far as it lay visible. I watched him furtively, but with consuming anxiety.
‘Tell ye what, mates,’ he suddenly sung out, rounding upon the men and approaching them, ‘there’s nothen to hurt in this weather, and the barque’s going to lie as quiet as if she was laid up. We’ll just stop where we are; but a lookout’ll ha’ to be kept, and the boat must be watched. Better settle the order at once. The lookout will sit in the boat, case’—he added with a sarcastic leer in my direction—‘there might be savages about unbeknown to us with a settlement aback of that hill amidships there. What d’ye say, Mr. Dugdale?’
‘I have no longer command,’ I answered; ‘it is for you to arrange as you will. Why you desire to keep me here, I cannot imagine. Why not put me aboard, that the young lady may have the comfort of my presence?’
‘She don’t want no comfort,’ he answered coarsely; ‘she’s all right. The number of paces the capt’n talked of may come to ye by daybreak, and we’re all at hand to tarn to.’
I made no answer.
The night came down dark and clear, with a noise of rippling waters in the quiet steady wind. The barque faded into a phantasm, and inland it was all black as ink, with the stars which rimmed the outline of the central rise winking there like sentinel beacons burning upon some giant mountain leagues distant. But where the boat lay the space of coral grit showed pallid, of the hue of ordinary soil bathed in moonlight, and the figure of the little fabric, with her nose pointing at the tree to which the rope that secured her was fastened, blended shadowily with the darkling surface of the water of the lagoon, over whose tiny ripples the clear reflection of the larger stars were riding.