REACHING the camp under the palms we found a "state of affairs," as
Conetta phrased it. The small fire had been kindled--not for any
needed warmth, to be sure, but solely for the heartening effect of it,
I imagined--and the women were huddled about it in various attitudes
of more or less hysterical suspense, for which there was undeniably
sufficient excuse, heaven knows.
There were sobs and gaspings of relief when we came in with our
original number undiminished; and I let the others answer the
inevitable outburst of eager and anxious questions and drew Conetta out
of the fire circle to tell her briefly what had transpired, and what we
had failed to do.
"And those horrid men are actually on the island with us now--at this
very moment?" she breathed, the slate-blue eyes dilating. "What are
they here for? What are they doing?"
"They have come to get the boat-load that we captured; the six that
Goff brought ashore," I evaded, still trying to keep Bonteck's foolish
secret intact.
"Then they will go away again?"
"That is one comfort; and very soon, I should say."
"But I don't understand. If they are not going to take us in the
_Andromeda_, why have they come back to the island?"
I hated to go on prevaricating to her, but until Bonteck should give me
leave, I was not at liberty to tell her the whole truth.
"Suppose we give them the credit of being at least partly human," I
suggested. "Possibly they couldn't find it in their hearts to let us
stay here and famish slowly. You mustn't forget that they've promised
to leave us the long-boat and some eatables."
I could see well enough that she wasn't satisfied with that answer. She
was far too clear-headed to take any such niggardly part for the whole.
"You're not making it very plausible," she said. "How far is it to
where we're going in the long-boat?"
"Oh, it's quite some little distance," I replied, as easily as I could.
"But with the sea as calm as it is now----"
"It may not stay calm," she broke in; and then: "You say Captain Elijah
was with you. Where is he now?"
"He--er--he had to let himself be taken again, you know. The pirates
insisted upon that. They have no real navigator in their outfit. That
is probably the reason why they didn't put him ashore with us in the
beginning."
"Then Bonteck was right? Captain Elijah wasn't one of them?"
"No, indeed. I'm frank to say I did him an injustice. He was
overpowered and made a prisoner, along with Haskell and Quinby and the
other Americans."
"But why did that first six that you had the fight with bring the
captain ashore with them?"