Part 65 (2/2)
”Bah!” ejaculated the captain angrily; but he changed his o, ve must vait, eh? You vill stay vis o back I' shavers”
The captain turned his head sharply round and looked aft; but, keen as his sea-going eyes were, the presence of the boys passed unnoticed, and, probably concluding that they were farther aft, the captain said in a lower tone, but still perfectly audible
”Dey look for zem?”
”Look for 'em? The whole island's been at it 'bout the rocks and cliffs, and with every boat out; but do you know, Skipper Jarks, they arn't fund 'em”
The old scoundrel chuckled, and Mike heard Vince's teeth grate together; and then directly after, he drew a deep breath, like a sigh, for the captain said softly,--
”And zey vill not find ze for their corpusses--for they're dead now”
”Aha! so soon?”
”Ay, skipper; they say they've gone off the rocks and been drownded, and when they told o, for they was the owdaciousest pair as ever I see They'd do anything they took in their heads”
”Aha! is it so?” said the captain
”Ay, Skipper Jarks, it's so; but I'ht What do you say?”
”Nosing, _o, who know evairy rock and courant about ze island, vill find zem if any ones do But, my friend, vat you sink? Zey find ze vay down to ze cave?”
”Nay, not they nobody can climb down they rocks”
”And you sink zere is no one who find ze leetler passage?”
”Sure of it, skipper If any one had found that there way down do you think he'd ha' kep' it to hisself? Nay, I should ha' been sure to ha'
heered it, and if I had I'd ha' done soo down On'y oneknow'd of that till they two dropped upon it soh, as nobody never did Well, I ets hoo up to the Doctor's”
”Vell, you vill eat and drink so,” said the captain ”Come to ze cabin, and ve sall see”
As it happened, he led the way across the deck, and then along the port side aft to the cabin-hatch, from whence came soon after the call for the cook, ent to and fro carrying plates and glasses, while the two boys still stood in their for the phosphorescent creatures in the sea, but seeing none
It was some time before either of them spoke, and then it was Vince who broke the silence
”So we're both dead and swept out to sea, are we?” he said
He waited for a few moments, and then, as Mike did not speak, he said, in a lohisper:
”I say, Mike, shouldn't you like to take a piece of rock and drop it through old Joe's boat?”
”No”