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You may have to face somelittle adjustments in your lives, but what of that?
But his thoughts did him no good, for he could make noplans. Now they were back
indense fog, and the compass was brought into use again. No sign of her, and I
couldsee twenty miles of water. But there was that in his voice which made
Barralty look upanxiously. If there were evil things afoot in the island they
mightbe at their mercy.
Some trawler put in for water, he said;many of them
carry boats with out-board motors. Shebore down his scruples with another
argument. Well, weve got the girl, and shes what Haraldsen cares most forin the
world. You think that we might make terms on our own account withthe people on
the Island.
But as she left them she drew behind her a sliding door at the
endof the passage.
An off-chance, he told himself, but worth taking.
He made
mefollow him up on deck, keeping in the shadow so that we shouldntbe
seen.
Youre not sorry for haddocks andhalibut and sea-trout.
The hill fell
steeply in screesand rocks to the waters edge.
Midnight came and we were still
searching.
It was theother kayak, which lightly shouldered the first and came
to restbeside it. They slept sound in the nook of rock, and it was only the sun
onAnnas face that woke them. How long he sat hunched on the blankets he does
not know, but hethinks it must have been hours.
Slowly sleep came over him,
forbody and mind and nerves were alike weary.
Dont answer anything, the boy
whispered to Anna. Almost before he knew he wassitting in a kayak, looking up
at the dim bulk of the vessel.
Anna slackened pace and dropped into line with
him.
Peter John found himself in a little cubby-hole of a cabin underthe
fore-deck.
I ran back to the House in what was pretty near a panic.
We want a
gooddeal, but the Skipper may want everything. In thesoft, bright weather they
were hours in or on the water.
The Skipper cant be fool enough to neglect such
a chance.
In the smallhours of the morning they had not returned. It must be
pretty late in the day, forIm desperately hungry.
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