Part 25 (2/2)

At last came a whole big bread pudding. ”I jes' know you was a'comin', an' I saved it,” said Rufe.

Ray turned over his stool, as he jumped to give the black a hug. ”Oh, if I'd only known that was coming.” And he put his hand on his stomach.

When we two had stuffed ourselves the limit, Ray lingered at the table, looking very sober, his chin in his hand, his eyes on the big remaining portion of the pudding. Rufe sidled up.

”What it is make you so sad?” he said.

”Say, Rufe,” said Ray, ”isn't it the chicken that has two stomachs?”

”I reckon dat's right,” said Rufe.

”Well, I guess I'm half a chicken,” said Ray.

”Why,” said Rufe, ”has you got two stummicks?”

”No,” returned Ray, a wail in his tone, ”but I've got two appet.i.tes.”

And Rufe rolled on the deck.

”Well, now,” said Norris at last, ”that voodoo skunk can sail when he gets ready, the sooner the better.”

”Yes,” agreed Captain Marat. ”Now we ready for heem. He ver' clever if he fool us some more, now.”

Norris volunteered to take the watch till two o'clock; then Robert offered to follow him. All others turned in.

I awoke, hearing Robert in talk with Captain Marat. ”It looks to me like the _Orion's_ moving, slowly--no sails up,” Robert was saying. In a little while the two climbed into a small boat. The moon had gone down, and it was quite dark. The night breeze was still blowing gently. I again dozed off, too tired to note what was going forward.

I do not know how long I slept this time, but when I opened my eyes next, it was to hear blocks creaking; and jib and mainsail were already set, and the foresail was going up. Marat and Robert had gone to the isle, and hurried over opposite the _Orion's_ berth, to find that that schooner's crew had been warping the vessel out toward the south pa.s.sage. The two waited till the _Orion_ had made sufficient progress to set her sails and attain headway, then they had hurried back to set the _Pearl_ in pursuit again.

The tail end of a squall came to give us a boost. The _Orion_ got a greater portion of it.

Ray did not waken till we were well out in the open sea.

”What!” said he, looking abroad. ”Has the island sunk?”

In half an hour the sun burst out of the sea, showing that island astern. The _Orion_ was perhaps three miles away, heading a little south of west. It was not till eleven that morning that we got a wind to give us good headway.

Day after day, now again, we kept the schooner, _Orion_, company. She seemed to make no effort to elude us. The nights were bright moonlight, making us an easy task. Then at last we sighted the towering, ragged mountains of the great island of the voodoos. We were to the south of the island this time.

”Looks like that skunk is going the long way round,” said Norris.

”Hopes to shake us off somewhere on the south coast, maybe,” I suggested.

”Thad is ver' evident,” said Captain Marat. ”He could save ver' much time to go back by the north coast.”

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