CHAPTER FIFTEEN.
THE MYSTERIOUS BARQUE.
When Leslie returned to the camp he found the tent lighted up, and Floraand dinner awaiting him. He was tired, for the day had been anunusually fatiguing one; and when a man is tired he usually prefers tobe silent. Nevertheless, he recapitulated in detail to Flora all thathad been in his mind during his walk home; and finally put the questionto her whether she would rather leave in the barque, or in the cutter;the former, perhaps, offering her more comfortable--because more roomy--quarters than the latter.
"What have _you_ decided to do, Dick?" she asked.
"Oh," he replied, "so far as I am concerned, I have quite made up mymind to adhere to my original plan of going home in the cutter, andtaking our treasure with me."
"Then, of course, that settles everything," said Flora, simply. "Whereyou go, Dick dear, I go also--that is to say, if you will have me."This last with a most angelic smile.
There was but one reply possible to such a remark, so that matter wassettled; after which, having lighted his pipe, he strolled over to thehut, to discuss with Nicholls and Simpson the unexpected appearance ofthe barque in their neighbourhood.
"If she means to touch here, as I feel pretty certain that she does,"remarked Leslie, after he had related to the two men the result of hisobservations, "she will doubtless dodge off and on until daylight--as ofcourse she cannot know the whereabouts of the channel through the reef--and then we can go out in the canoe and pilot her in. Meanwhile, whatdo you two men think of doing? Are you going to keep to yourarrangement with me; or would you prefer to get the skipper of thebarque to take you?"
Nicholls regarded Leslie with some surprise. "I hope, sir," he said,"that you don't want to cry off your bargain with us! I've already beenplanning in my mind what I'll do with that five hundred--"
"Certainly not," interrupted Dick, with a laugh; "_I_ have no wish tocry off my bargain, as you term it. I merely wish you to understandthat I will not attempt to hold you to it if you would prefer the barqueto the cutter. The barque would doubtless be more comfortable than thecutter in heavy weather."
"May be she would, or may be she wouldn't," observed Nicholls. "Anyhow,the difference wouldn't be so very great, one way or the other. Butthere's no five hundred pound to be got out of the barque; and I'm boundto have that money, Mr Leslie--"
"Same here," cut in Simpson.
"All right," laughed Leslie. "Then that matter is settled for good andall; so we need say no more about it."
"Question is: What's she comin' here for?" inquired Simpson,volunteering a remark for the first time on record.
"Oh, who can tell?" returned Leslie. "She may be a whaler--although Ido not believe that she is--putting in here in the hope of findingwater. That is the only explanation that has occurred to me asaccounting for her presence in this locality--which is really a long wayout of any of the usual ship tracks. She is the first craft that I havesighted since my arrival upon this island. But no doubt we shall learnto-morrow--"
"Why, there she is," interrupted Nicholls, pointing. "By Jingo, justlook at that; coming in through the channel as confidently as though shehad been in the habit of sailin' in and out of it every day of her life!And with nothing better than the starlight to see her way by. Well,dash my wig, but that's a rum go, and no mistake!"
It was even as he said; for while the three men stood there talkingtogether the shadowy form of the barque, under her two topsails andfore-topmast staysail, was seen gliding into the lagoon close past CapeFlora--her skipper evidently perfectly acquainted with the exactsituation of the entrance channel--and presently her topsail halliardswere let run and the sails clewed up, the rattle of the gear and thecheeping of the blocks being distinctly audible to the three on thebeach. Then a minute or two later came the splash of the anchor and therumbling rattle of the cable through the hawse-pipe, and the barque wasseen to swing to her anchor.
"Well, it is perfectly clear that the man who has charge of her has beenin here at least once before," remarked Leslie. "Evidently he knows theplace quite well. Now, I wonder _what_ it is that has brought him here;I would give a trifle to know. And, of course, I could readily find outby taking the canoe and paddling off aboard to ask the question. But Iwill not do that; and, furthermore, it may be just as well not to letthose people know--until to-morrow morning, at any rate--that there isanybody on the island, therefore pleads take care, both of you, that nolight shows from your hut to-night. And I will just step up to the tentand give Miss Trevor a similar caution. Good night, men. We had betterbe stirring by dawn to-morrow morning." So saying, Leslie turned away,and made his way to the tent, where he not only cautioned Flora againstshowing a light, but took such simple precautions as were required torender it impossible that the necessary lights in the tent should beseen from the barque. Then, this done to his satisfaction, he lightedhis pipe and, taking the telescope--which was both a day and anight-glass--once more sauntered down to the beach to watch theproceedings aboard the strange vessel. For although he could find nolegitimate reason or excuse for the feeling, it was an undeniable factthat the appearance of this barque upon the scene affected himdisagreeably, producing within him a vague sense of unrest that almostamounted to foreboding. _Why_ had she come to the island? That was thequestion that persistently haunted him, and to which he could find noentirely satisfactory reply. That her presence there was accidental hecould not believe, else how came it that the person in charge of herknew so well where to find the channel giving access to the lagoon, andentered it so confidently, not even waiting for the daylight to enablehim to see his way in? And as he mused thus he employed himself inintently watching the barque through the night-glass, again noting thefact that the vessel was curiously short-handed, for her people furledonly one topsail at a time, and--so far as he could make out--had onlyfour men available for the job, instead of at least twice that number.Furthermore, he noticed that, even for that small number of men, thetime consumed in rolling up and stowing the sails was quiteunconscionable, arguing the existence of an exceedingly lax discipline--if any at all--aboard the craft. He estimated that it occupied thosefour men fully two hours to furl the two topsails; and when it was atlast done and the men had descended to the deck with exasperatingdeliberation, he came to the conclusion that, if the night-glass was tobe trusted, the job had been done in a most disgracefully slovenlymanner.
He patiently watched that barque until all visible signs of life aboardher had vanished, and then he walked thoughtfully back to the tent andturned in--Flora having retired some time before. But ere he could getto sleep he was disturbed by the sounds of a hideous uproar that camefloating shoreward from the stranger; and, going again into the open airto hear more clearly, he presently recognised the sounds as those ofdiscordant singing, finally recognising the fact that a regular drunkenorgie was in progress aboard the craft--still further evidence of asingularly lax state of discipline.
Leslie's couch was a sleepless one that night; for the fact was that,taking everything into consideration, he could neither accountsatisfactorily for the presence of the barque at the island, norconvince himself that her errand there was an altogether honest one.Therefore, with the first faint flush of dawn he was again astir; androusing Flora and the two men, he bade them get their breakfastsforthwith and make the best of their way out of the camp ere thebarque's people should have had an opportunity to see them and becomeaware of their presence on the island. And he further gave Nicholls andSimpson instructions to proceed with and complete the rigging of thecutter and the bending of her sails, in readiness for getting under wayat a moment's notice. Unfortunately the _Flora_ had still to beprovisioned and watered for her voyage; and it was just this fact, andthe possibility that the strangers might be disposed to interfere withthese operations, that discomposed him. But for this he would mostcheerfully have marched himself and his little party out of the camp andleft it, with everything it contained, to the mercy of the barque'screw-
-whom he had already, in some unaccountable fashion, come to lookupon as outlaws. He gave the men the strictest injunctions that Florawas to forthwith take up her quarters aboard the cutter, while they--Nicholls and Simpson--were to camp in the natural fortress to which hehad that same afternoon drawn their attention, holding it against allcomers, and on no account leaving it altogether unguarded, either day ornight. As for himself, he announced that he would remain, as soleoccupant of the camp, to meet the strangers and ascertain the reason fortheir visit; after which his further actions would be guided bycircumstances.
Leslie was of opinion that, after the orgie of the preceding night, thecrew of the barque would be in no particular hurry to turn out; and hissurmise proved to be quite correct, for although he kept a keen watchupon the vessel it was not until nearly nine o'clock that he detectedthe first signs of movement on board her, in the shape of a thinstreamer of smoke, issuing from the galley funnel. He then watched forthe usual signs of washing down the decks, the drawing of water, thestreaming of the scuppers, and so on, but could detect nothing of thekind; neither was the bell struck on board to mark the passage of time--two additional indications of the absence of discipline that stillfurther increased his fast-growing uneasiness respecting the characterof his unwelcome visitors. As soon as the light was strong enough, itmay be mentioned, he had taken a look at the barque through histelescope, and had read the words "_Minerva_, Glasgow," painted acrossher counter; he thus knew that the vessel was British, as, indeed, hehad already suspected.
Now, it was Dick's purpose to learn as much as he possibly could aboutthe strangers, and to let them know as little as possible abouthimself--and nothing at all about his companions--in return, until hehad had an opportunity to get some notion of their true character. Hehad therefore determined to pose as a solitary castaway; and now, inthat character, proceeded down to the beach, stepped into the canoe, andbegan to paddle laboriously off toward the barque. For he knew that oneof the first things to be done by the skipper of that vessel would be tobring his telescope to bear upon the island, and this would immediatelyresult in the discovery of his tent, his pile of salvage from the brig,the hut, and all the litter upon the beach; and as it was consequentlyimpossible to conceal the fact of his presence upon the island, hejudged that the natural action of such a castaway as himself would be toeagerly seize the first opportunity to communicate with a calling ship.
The canoe being a big, heavy craft for one man to handle, it took him afull hour to paddle off to the barque; but it was not until he waswithin a hundred yards of her that he was able to detect any openindication of the fact that his presence had been discovered. Then hesaw a big, burly-looking individual come aft along the vessel's fullpoop, and deliberately bring a pair of binocular glasses to bear uponhim. He at once ceased paddling, and, placing his hands to his mouth,hailed--
"_Minerva_ ahoy!"
"Hillo!" came the response across the water, in a gruff voice thataccurately matched the build and general appearance of the owner.
"May I come aboard?" inquired Dick resuming his paddle.
"Ay, ay; come aboard, if ye like," was the somewhat ungracious response.
Without further parley Leslie paddled up alongside under the starboardmain channels, and, flinging his painter up to an individual who came tothe side and peered curiously down upon him over the bulwarks, scrambledup the side as best he could in the absence of a side-ladder, and thenext moment found himself on deck.
He cast an apparently casual but really all-embracing glance round him,and noted that the barque was evidently just an ordinary trader, withnothing in the least remarkable about her appearance save theextraordinary paucity of men about her decks. Under ordinarycircumstances and conditions, at this hour all hands would have been ondeck and busy about their preparations for the carrying out of theobject of their visit to the island--whatever that might be; instead ofwhich the man on the poop, the man who had made fast his painter forhim, and the cook--a fat-faced, evil-looking man with a most atrocioussquint--who came to the galley door and stared with malevolent curiosityat him--were the only individuals visible. It was not, however, anypart of Leslie's policy to exhibit surprise at such an unusual conditionof affairs, so he simply advanced to the poop ladder, with the manner ofone a little uncertain how to act, and, looking up at the burly man whostood at the head of the ladder, glowering down upon him, said--
"Good morning! Are you the captain of this barque?"
"Ay," answered the individual addressed; "I'm Cap'n Turnbull. Who mayyou be, mister? and how the blazes do you come to be on that thereisland? And how many more are there of ye?"
"As you see, I am alone, unfortunately," answered Leslie; "and a prettyhard time I have had of it. But, thank God, that is all over now thatyou have turned up--for I presume you will be quite willing to give me apassage to the next port you may be calling at?"
"_Give_ ye a passage?" reiterated the burly man, scornfully; "givenothin'! I'm a poor man, I am, and can't afford to give anything away,not even a passage to the next port. But if you'm minded to come aboardand _work_ your passage, you're welcome. For I'm short-handed, as Idare say you can see; and it's easy enough to tell that you're asailor-man. It you wasn't you wouldn't be here, would ye?" This lastwith a grin that disclosed a set of strong irregular, tobacco-stainedteeth, and imparted to the speaker the expression of a satyr.
The conversation thus far had been conducted as it had started, withLeslie down on the main deck and Turnbull on the poop. The incongruityof the arrangement now seemed to strike the latter, for he added--
"Come up here, mister; we can talk more comfortably when we're alongsideof one another; and you can spin me the yarn how you come to be allalone by yourself on yon island."
In acceptance of this graciously worded invitation, Leslie ran lightlyup the poop ladder and, slightly raising his cap, said--
"Permit me to introduce myself, Captain Turnbull. My name is_Leslie_,"--with emphasis--"and the recital of the chain ofcircumstances which ended in my being cast away upon the island yonderwill be so lengthy that, with your permission, I will smoke a pipe as Itell it."
And therewith he calmly drew his pipe from his pocket and, filling it,lighted up. Meanwhile his manner, language, and appearance had beensteadily impressing the other man, who insensibly began to infuse hisown manner with a certain measure of respect as the interview lengtheneditself out.
Having lighted his pipe, Leslie proceeded to relate the whole story ofhis adventure, beginning with his embarkation on board the _GoldenFleece_, and ending up with the stranding of the _Mermaid_, butcarefully suppressing all reference whatsoever to Miss Trevor; andrepresenting himself not as an ex-naval officer, but as an amateuryachtsman. He was careful also to mention nothing about the existenceof the cutter, but, on the other hand, dwelt at some length upon theidea he had entertained of building a craft capable of carrying him anda sufficient stock of provisions away from the island. "I doubt,however, whether I should ever have managed it, single-handed. But yourarrival renders all further trouble on that score unnecessary," he said,in conclusion.
"Well, yes," returned Turnbull, somewhat more genially than he had yetspoken; "there's no call for you to worry about buildin' a boat now, asyou says, 'specially as you're a good navigator. You can come home withus, workin' your passage by navigatin' the ship. For a good navigatoris just exactly what I happens to want."
"Ah, indeed! Cannot you rely upon your mate, then?" inquired Leslie,blandly.
"My mate?" ejaculated the burly man; "well, no, I can't. That's tosay," he continued confusedly, "he's the only navigator I've got now,and--well, no, I _can't_ depend upon him."
"Do you find, then, that your own observations and his yield differentresults?" asked Leslie, still in the same bland, quiet manner.
"My own observations?" reiterated Captain Turnbull. "_I_ don't take noobservations. Ye see," he added, looking hard at Leslie's impassiveface to discover whether the latter had noti
ced anything peculiar insuch an extraordinary admission, "my sight's a little bit peculiar; Ican see ordinary things plain enough, but when it comes to squintin'through a sextant I can't see nothin'."
"Ah, indeed; that must be exceedingly awkward for you, Captain,"returned Leslie. "I am not surprised at your anxiety to secure theservices of another navigator. By the way, how long do you propose toremain here? I should like to know, so that I may make my preparationsaccordingly."
"Well," answered Turnbull, "there's no particular reason for you tohurry; I s'pose half an hour 'll be about time enough for you to getyour few traps together and bring 'em off, won't it?"
"Oh yes," answered Leslie, nonchalantly, "that time will amply suffice.I will do so at once, if you like."
"There's no occasion for hurry, as I said just now," retorted Turnbull."Now that we're here I think I shall give the men a spell and let 'emhave a run ashore a bit. In fact, I think I could do with a week ashorethere myself. Most lovely place it looks like, from here. By-the-bye,how long did you say you'd been on that there island?"
"A trifle over nine months," answered Leslie.
"Over nine months!" ejaculated the other in tones of intense surprise."Well, nobody'd think as you'd been a castaway for nine months, to lookat ye. Why, you look strong and healthy enough, and as smartly riggedas though you'd just stepped out of the most dandy outfitter's in theMinories!"
"Oh, but there is nothing very wonderful in that," laughingly protestedLeslie. "Nine months of life, practically in the open air all the time,is just the thing to keep a man fit, you know; while as for my `rig,' Ifound a big stock of clothes among the _Mermaid's_ cargo, and I havedrawn freely upon that."
"Nine months on the island," repeated Turnbull, still dwelling upon thatparticular fact; "why, I s'pose you know every inch of the ground ashorethere by this time?"
There was a certain ill-suppressed eagerness in the tones of the man'svoice as he asked this question that acted very much as a danger-signalto Leslie. It seemed to suggest that thus far the man had merely beenfencing with him, but that he was now trying to get within his guard;that, in short, the object of the _Minerva's_ visit to the island wasnearing the surface. He therefore replied, with studied carelessness--
"No, indeed I do not. On the contrary, I know very little of it--notnearly as much as I ought to know. I have been to the summit once, andtook a general survey of the island from that point, and I have wanderedfor a short distance about the less densely bush-clad ground on thisside of the island; but that is about all. The fact is that I was muchtoo keen upon saving everything I possibly could out of the brig tothink of wasting my time in wandering about an island the greater partof which is covered with almost impassable bush."
"Ah, yes; I s'pose you would be," rejoined Turnbull, with an expressionof relief that set Leslie wondering.
What on earth did it matter to Turnbull whether he--Dick Leslie--hadexplored the island or not? he asked himself. Turnbull's next remarklet in a little light upon the obscurity, and distinctly startledLeslie. For, staring steadfastly at the island, the burly man presentlyobserved--
"Yes; it's a fine big island, that, and no mistake. With a mountain onit and all, too. I should say, now, that that island would be a verylikely place for _caves_, eh? Looks as though there might be any amountof caves ashore there in the sides of that there hill, don't it?"
_Caves_! Like a flash of lightning the true explanation of the_Minerva's_ visit stood clearly revealed to Leslie's mind. That oneword "caves," spoken as it was in tones of mingled excitement andanxiety, ill-suppressed, had furnished him with the key to the entireenigma. _Caves_! Yes, of course; that was it; that explainedeverything--or very nearly everything--that had thus far been puzzlingLeslie, and gave him practically all the information that he had been soanxious to acquire. He had read of such incidents in books, of course,but had so far regarded them merely as pegs whereon to hang a more orless ingeniously conceived and exciting romance; but here was a similarincident occurring in actual prosaic earnest; and he suddenly foundhimself confronted with a situation of exceeding difficulty. For themention by Turnbull of the word "caves"--careless and casual as hefondly believed it to be, but actually exceedingly clumsy--had in aninstant driven home to Leslie's mind the conviction that somehow orother this man had become possessed of information of the existence ofthe treasure on this island, _and had come to take it away_! By whatcircuitous chain of events the information had fallen into the fellow'shands it was of course quite impossible to guess; but that this was theexplanation of everything Dick was fully convinced. And now that hepossessed the clue he could not only guard his own tongue against thebetrayal of information, but could also doubtless so order his remarksas to extort from some one or another of his visitors all the detailsthat he himself might require. So, in reply to Turnbull's last remark,he said carelessly--
"Caves! oh, really I don't know; very possibly there may be--unless theearthquake has shaken them all in and filled them up--"
"Earthquake!" roared Turnbull, in tones of mingled rage andconsternation; "you don't mean to say as you've had a hearthquake here,do ye?"
"Certainly," answered Dick, with as much _sang-froid_ as though anearthquake were a mere pleasant interlude in an otherwise monotonouslife; "it occurred about three months ago, and gave the place a prettysevere shaking up, I can assure you. It also started that volcano intoactivity again after ages of quiescence."
"The mischief!" ejaculated Turnbull, with manifest discomposure. "Imust go ashore at once!"
"I am afraid," said Leslie, gently, "that my mention of the earthquakeand its possible effect upon the caves of the island has somewhat upsetyou. Are you going ashore in the hope of finding any particular cave?If so, I shall be most happy to assist you in your search."
"Assist! I'll be--I mean of course not," exclaimed Turnbull, beginningwith a savage bellow and suddenly calming himself again. "What d'yes'pose a man like me wants to go pokin' about ashore there, huntin'after caves for? I've somethin' else to do. I've come in here becauseour fresh water's turned bad, and I thought that maybe I might be ableto renew my stock, I s'pose there's fresh water to be had on theisland?"
"Certainly," answered Leslie; "there is a most excellent supply, andquite accessible to your boats. It lies over there," pointing towardMermaid Head; "and falls over a low ledge of rock into deep-water. Youcan go alongside the rock and fill up your boats or tanks direct, if youlike."
"Ah, that'll do first-rate," remarked Turnbull; "I'll give orders forthe men to start the foul water at once. And now, as I see that thesun's over the fore-yard, what'll you take to drink? I s'pose you'vebeen pretty hard up all these months for drink, haven't ye?"
"No, indeed," answered Leslie; "on the contrary, I found an abundance ofwines and spirits aboard the brig. The only thing that I have lackedhas been mineral waters; therefore if you happen to have any soda-wateron board it will give me great pleasure to take a whisky and soda withyou."
"I believe we have some sodas left," answered Turnbull, doubtfully."You won't mind takin' it up here on the poop, will ye?" he continued."Fact is there's a man lyin' sick in one of the cabins below, and Idon't want to disturb him with our talk."
Of course Leslie, although he had his doubts about the genuineness ofthe "sick man" story, readily acquiesced in the suggestion of the other,and seated himself in one of two deck-chairs that were standing on thepoop, while Turnbull retired ostensibly for the purpose of quietlyhunting up the steward.
A few minutes later the steward--a young Cockney of about twenty-fiveyears of age, who had the worn, harassed appearance of a man living in astate of perpetual scare--came up the poop ladder, bearing a tray onwhich were a couple of tumblers, an uncorked bottle of whisky, and twobottles of soda-water, which he placed upon the skylight cover. Then,taking up the whisky-bottle and a tumbler, he proceeded to pour out aportion of the spirit, glancing anxiously about him as he did so.
"Say `when,' sir, plea
se," he requested, in a loud voice, immediatelyadding under his breath, "Are you alone, ashore there, sir, or is thereothers there along with you?"
His whole air of extreme trepidation, and the manner of secrecy withwhich he put this singular question, was but further confirmation--ifany were needed--of certain very ugly suspicions that had been taking astrong hold upon Leslie during the whole progress of his interview withthe man Turnbull; Dick therefore replied to the steward by puttinganother question to him in the same low, cautious tones--
"Why do you ask me that, my man?" he murmured.
"Because, sir, there's--Is that about enough whisky, sir?"
The latter part of the steward's speech was uttered in a tone of voicethat could be distinctly heard as far forward as the break of the poop,and, with the man's abrupt change of subject was evidently caused--asLeslie could see out of the corner of his eye--by the silent, stealthyappearance of Turnbull's head above the top of the ladder, and theglance of keen suspicion that he shot at the two occupants of the poop.
Dick took the tumbler from the steward's shaking hand and calmly held itup before him, critically measuring the quantity of spirit it contained.
"Yes, thanks," he replied; "that will do nicely. Now for the soda."
And he held the tumbler while the steward opened the soda-water bottleand emptied it's effervescing contents into the spirit. Turnbullglanced keenly from Leslie to the steward and back again, but saidnothing, although the unfortunate attendant's condition of terror waspatent to all observers. Dick waited patiently while the trembling manhelped Turnbull, and then, lifting his tumbler, said--
"Your health, Captain; and to our better acquaintance."
"Thank 'ee; same to you," gruffly replied the individual addressed;adding to the steward, "That'll do; you can go back to your pantry now,and get on with your work."
The fellow departed in double-quick time, obviously glad to get awayfrom the neighbourhood of his somewhat surly superior; and as he wentTurnbull watched him until he disappeared down the poop ladder.
"Rum cove, that," he remarked to Leslie, as the man vanished. "Goodsort of steward enough, but nervous as a cat. Did ye notice him?"
"It was quite impossible not to do so," answered Dick, with a laugh."And I could not help feeling sorry for the poor beggar. I take it thathe is the simpleton of the ship, and that all hands make a point ofbadgering him."
"Ay," answered Turnbull, eagerly, clearly relieved that Dick had takenthis view of the man's condition; "that's just exactly what it is;you've hit the case off to a haffigraphy. Well, enough said about him.If you're ready to go ashore now I'll go with ye."
"By all means," answered Leslie, genially; not that he was in the leastdegree desirous to have the man's company, or even that he or any of hiscrew should land upon the island at all. Still, he knew that, thebarque being where she was, it was inevitable that at least some of theship's company would insist upon going ashore, and he could not see howhe was to prevent them; meanwhile, it was much better to have the fellowalone with him than accompanied by half a dozen or more of his men.
As he spoke he rose from his seat and led the way toward the canoe,Turnbull following him. Upon reaching the gangway, however, Dick lookedover the side, and then, turning to his companion, said--
"I think you would find it more convenient if your people rigged theside-ladder. My canoe is rather crank, and if you should happen totumble overboard in getting into her I would not answer for your life;the lagoon swarms with sharks, and as likely as not there are one or twounder the ship's bottom at this moment."
Turnbull grunted and turned away, looking forward to where two or threemen were loafing about on the forecastle, hard at work doing nothing.
"For'ard, there!" he shouted; "rouse out the side-ladder and rig it,some of ye, and look sharp about it. Steward," he added, turning towardthe cabin under the poop, "bring me out a handful of cigars."
The two men with the ladder, and the steward with the cigars, appearedsimultaneously; and, pocketing the weeds, the skipper proceeded to thegangway to supervise the rigging of the ladder. As he did so, Lesliefelt something being thrust surreptitiously into his hand. It felt likea folded piece of paper, and he calmly pocketed it, glancing casuallyabout him as he did so. The steward was the only man near him, and hewas shuffling off nimbly on his way back to his pantry.
Leslie took his time paddling ashore, and when at length the pair landedon the beach the sun had passed the meridian.
"Now, Captain," said Dick, "where would you like to go in the firstplace?"
Turnbull stood and looked about him admiringly. "Why," he exclaimed,"this here hisland is a real beautiful place, and no mistake. Dash mywig! why, a man might do a sight worse than settle here for the rest ofhis natural, eh?"
"Ay," answered Leslie, indifferently; "I have often thought so myself.Indeed it is quite on the cards that I may return here some day, with afew seeds and an outfit of gardeners' tools. As you say, a man might doworse. By the way, perhaps it will be as well to get lunch before westart out on our ramble. Will you come up to my tent? You will find ita very comfortable little shanty. I must apologise for the fare that Ishall be obliged to offer you, but I have lived on tinned meat and fishever since I have been here; and I have caught no fish to-day."
"Well, I must say as you've managed to make yourself pretty tidycomfortable," observed Leslie's guest as he entered the tent and staredabout him in astonishment; "picters, fancy lamps, tables and chairs withswagger cloths and jigmarees upon 'em, and a brass-mounted bedstead andbeddin' fit for a king! They're a blame sight better quarters thanyou'll find aboard the _Minerva_, and so I tell ye."
Leslie laughed lightly. "What does that matter?" he demanded. "True, Iam fond of comfort, and always make a point of getting it where I can;but I can rough it with anybody when it becomes necessary."
Dick was obliged to leave his guest alone in the tent for a short timewhile he looked after the preparations for luncheon; and he had littledoubt that during his absence the man would without scruple peer and pryinto the other compartments of the tent. But to this contingency he wasquite indifferent, for he had foreseen and forestalled it, before goingoff to the barque, by carefully gathering up and stowing away such fewtraces of a woman's presence as Flora had left behind her. ThatTurnbull had followed the natural propensity of men of his stamp wasmade clear immediately upon Dick's return, for, quite unabashed, thefellow remarked--
"I say, mister, you're doin' the thing in style here, and no mistake.I've been havin' a look round this here tent of yourn while you've beenaway, and I see as you've acshully got a pianner in the next room. Andwhere's your shipmate gone to?"
"My shipmate?" repeated Leslie, staring blankly at him.
"Ay, your shipmate," reiterated Turnbull, severely. "You told me youwas all alone here, but I see as you've got _two_ bedrooms rigged uphere. Who's t'other for, and where is he?"
"Really, Captain," said Dick, coldly, "I cannot see what possibledifference it can make to you whether I have a shipmate or not, if youwill pardon me for saying so. But," he continued, somewhat moregenially, "it is perfectly evident that you have never lived alone on anisland, or you would understand what a luxury it is to be able to changeone's sleeping-room occasionally."
"Oh, that's it, is it?" returned Turnbull, with sudden relief. "Yousleeps sometimes in one bed and sometimes in t'other, by way of achange, eh?"
"As you see," answered Dick, briefly. "And now, will you draw up yourchair? It is not a very tempting meal that I can offer you; but you canmake up for it when you return to your ship this evening."
It was evident to Leslie that Turnbull was much exercised in his mindabout something, for he ate and drank silently and with a preoccupiedair; and later on the reason for this became manifest, for when atlength they rose from the table the fellow remarked with a clumsy effortat nonchalance--
"Look here, mister, I expect you've a plenty of matters to look afterand attend to,
so don't you worry about showin' me round this herehisland of yourn; you just go on with what you've got in hand, and I'lltake a stroll somewheres by myself."
So that was it. He wanted an opportunity to go off upon an exploringexpedition unrestrained by Dick's presence! But this did not at allchime in with Leslie's plans; for he felt certain that if he yielded tohis companion's suggestion the latter would at once make his way in thedirection of the treasure-cave, and endeavour to discover its locality,with the result that he would inevitably come into collision withNicholls and Simpson. This, in any case, would doubtless happen, sooneror later; but Dick wished to acquire a little further information beforeit occurred. He therefore replied--
"Oh, thanks, very much. I was busy enough, in all conscience, beforeyou arrived; but now that you have turned up, and have kindly consentedto take me off the island, I have nothing further to do. So I may aswell accompany you, since I know the shortest way to such few points ofinterest as the island possesses. Where would you like to go? Thecrater and the watering-place are about the only spots that are likelyto tempt you, I think."
Turnbull glared at Dick as though he could have eaten him; and for amoment the ex-lieutenant thought that his guest was about to try violentmeasures with him. But if that thought was really in his mind hesuffered more prudent counsels to prevail with him, and, after a fewmoments' hesitation, intimated that he would like to have a look at thewatering-place. Dick accordingly piloted his morose companion to thespot, and pointed out how excellently it was adapted to the purpose ofwatering ships, drawing his attention to the deep-water immediatelybeneath the low cascade, and dilating upon the facility with which boatscould be brought alongside. But it was clearly apparent to him thatTurnbull was absolutely uninterested in the subject; and he was by nomeans sorry when, upon the return to the camp, the latter declined hisinvitation to remain on shore to dinner, and curtly requested to be atonce put off to the barque. During the passage off to the vessel theman's surliness of demeanour suddenly vanished, and, as though abrilliant idea had just struck him, he became in a moment almostoffensively civil, strongly urging Dick to remain aboard the barque and"make a night of it." But neither did this suit Dick's plans; thesudden change in the man's demeanour at once roused Leslie's suspicions;and as he had no intention whatever of placing himself in the fellow'spower, he suavely declined the invitation, remarking that, as he wouldsoon be having quite as much of the sea as he wanted, he would continueto enjoy his present roomy quarters as long as he could.