Elsie, of course, understood all of this. When Christobal put it into
literal English, Courtenay looked at her. She smiled at his unspoken
thought.
"I am already aware of most of what he is telling us," she said. "It
is very dreadful that such people should exist, but one does not fall
in a faint merely because they cumber the earth. Perhaps you will not
send me away next time, if they try to board the ship again. I can use
a revolver quite well enough to count as one for the defense."
"You are henceforth enrolled as maid-at-arms, Miss Maxwell," said the
captain, lightly. He was by no means surprised at the coolness she
displayed in the face of the new terror. She had given so many proofs
of her natural courage that it must be equal to even so affrighting a
test as the near presence of the Alaculof Indians. But he broke in on
the Spaniard's recital with a question of direct interest.
"Ask him, Christobal, why he said those devils would come again by
daylight."
"Because they have guns, and can use them," was the appalling answer
given by Suarez. "They secured the rifles belonging to my party, and
one of them, who had often seen ship's officers shooting wild geese,
understood the method of loading and aiming. They will not waste the
cartridges on game, but keep them for tribal warfare, and they think a
gun cannot shoot in the dark. To-night they only attempted a surprise,
and made off the moment they were discovered. To-morrow, or next day,
they will swarm round the ship in hundreds, and fire at us with rifles,
bows, and slings. They do most harm with the slings and arrows, as
they hold the gun away from the shoulder, but they can cast a heavy
pebble from a sling quite as far and almost as straight as a revolver
can shoot."
"How do they know the ship will not sail at once?" demanded Courtenay.
Suarez laughed hysterically, with the mirth which is akin to tears,
when the query was explained to him. He looked bizarre enough under
ordinary conditions, but laughter converted him into a fair semblance
of one of those blood-curdling demons which a Japanese artist loves to
depict. Evidently, he depended on make-up to supplement his powers as
a conjurer.
"It is as much as a canoe can manage in fine weather to reach the
island out there, which they call Seal Island," he cried, pointing
towards the locality of White Horse Island. "Even the Indians were
astonished to see so big a ship anchored here safely. They have
watched plenty of wrecks outside, and hardly anything comes ashore. At
any rate, they are quite sure you cannot go back."
It would be idle to deny that the Spaniard's words sent a chill of
apprehension down the spine of some of those present; but the captain
said quietly: "Where a ship is concerned, if she can enter on the flood she can go
out on the ebb. How came you to escape to-night?"