Part 19 (1/2)
”Then you believe that the situation looks more hopeful, Mr. Blake?”
”Well, we've at least got an extension on our note for a week or two.
But I'm not going to coddle you with a lot of lies, Miss Jenny. There's the fever coming, sure as fate. I may stave it off a while; you and Win, ten to one, will be down in a few days--and not a smell of quinine in our commissary. Then there'll be dysentery and snakes and wild beasts--No; we're not out of the woods yet, not by a--considerable.”
”By Jove, Blake,” muttered Winthrope, ”I must say, you're not very encouraging.”
”Didn't say I was trying to be.”
”But, Mr. Blake, I am sure papa will offer a large reward when the steamer is reported as lost. There will be s.h.i.+ps searching for us--”
”We're not in the British Channel, and I'll bet what few boats do coast along here don't nose about much among these coral reefs.”
”I fancy it would do no harm to erect a signal,” said Winthrope.
”Only thing that would make a show is Miss Leslie's skirt,” replied Blake.
”There is the big leopard skin,” persisted Winthrope. To his surprise the engineer took the suggestion under serious consideration.
”Well, I don't know,” he said. ”If we had a water background, now.
But against the rock and trees,--no; what we want is white. I'll tell you--when Miss Jenny sets to and makes herself a dress of that skin, I'll fly her skirt to the zephyrs.”
”Mr. Blake! I really think that is cruel of you!”
”Oh, come now; that's not fair! I wouldn't have said a word, but you said you wanted to help.”
”I beg your pardon, Mr. Blake. I--I did not quite understand you. I really do want to help--to do my share--”
”Now you're talking! You see, it's not only a question of the signal, but of clothes. We've got to figure anyway on needing new ones before long. Look at my pants and vest, and Win's too. Inside a month we'll all be in hide--or in hiding. That's a joke, Win, me b'y; see?”
”But in the meantime--” began Miss Leslie.
”In the meantime we're like to miss a chance or two of being picked up, just because we've failed to stick out a signal that'd catch the eye twice as far off as any other color than scarlet. Do you suppose I worked my way up from axeman to engineer, and didn't learn anything about flags?”
”But it is all really too absurd! I do not know the first thing about sewing, and I have neither thread nor needle.”
”It's up to you, though, if you want to help. My sisters sewed mighty soon after they learned to toddle. 'Bout time you learned-- There, now; I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. You've made a fair stagger at cooking, and I bet you win out on the dressmaking. For needle you can use one of these long slim thorns--poke a hole, and then slip the thread through, like a shoemaker.”
”Ah, yes; but the thread?” put in Winthrope.
”The cocoanut fibre would hardly do,” said Miss Leslie, forgetting to dry her eyes.
”No. We could get fairly good fibres out of the palm leaves; but catgut will be a whole lot better. I'll slit up a lot for you, fine enough to sew with. And now, let's get down to tacks. No offence--but did either of you ever learn to do anything useful in all your blessed little lives?”
”Why, Mr. Blake, of course I--”
”Of course what?” demanded Blake, as Miss Leslie hesitated. ”We know all about your cooking and sewing. What else?”
”I--I see what you meant. I fear that nothing of what I learned would be of service now.”