Great was my astonishment to find that the boat was my own craft which had brought me to the island.
“Are they all well?” I asked, looking eagerly towards the vessel. “Is Emily well, and Grace, and Oliver?”
“Yes, yes,” he answered; “all are well. We left them at the island; but there is no time to be lost. The weather looks threatening, Mr Thudicumb says, and the sooner you are away from this the better. Step in now. I suppose there is nothing to detain you?”
“No, but I have a friend,” I answered; and told them how Macco had escaped from the pirates.
Begging them to wait, I ran back to where I had left him at work.
“Well den,” he said, “we leab de boat for some oder person to build. I bery glad to see Potto Jumbo and my old friends.”
I ran back to the boat, Macco following me. We were soon on board, and pulling to the cutter. All sail was then made for Sedgwick Island; for so we resolved to call it. The weather, however, got worse and worse, but still Mr Thudicumb was very anxious to enter Hope Harbour; and in spite of the threatening sky and strong wind and increasing sea, we continued our course towards it. The loss of the vessel, and the merciful way in which our lives were preserved, has already been detailed by Emily.