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Here, this will do by this point. We'll settle down here. Leave the birds, my lad, and go on with the dog. Ask the captain to send three men to help us back into camp. I'll stay with Jimpny till they come." "No, no, sir. I shouldn't like that," said the stowaway.
"Who ever said you could, Davy Jimpny?" cried Billy. "But you wants charkle to make it with, don't yer?" "Yes, if you can't get coke," said the stowaway sadly. "Well, I aren't seen no gasworks on those here shores nowheres, and so you can't get no coke, can you?" "Course not." "Well, then, charkle it is. The whole deck's charkle, and so's the bulwarks, and the chunk end o' the bowsprit?"
As for those on board, after they had each in his own way, and then collectively at the captain's wish, returned thanks for their preservation, the first thing to be done was to remove the blackening ashes from their faces, while Jimpny swept pretty well half a ton of the curious volcanic dust from the cutter's decks. "What now?" said the major.
"Yes, all right, Jimpny. Had a good sleep?" "Yes, I think so. I I'm not quite awake. Yes, I recollect now." "Can you walk a couple of miles or so, my lad?" said the captain. "Yes, sir; yes, I can walk," said the stowaway; "but there are some birds here. Let me help carry the birds." "No, no; they're all right, my lad," said Small. "You carry yourself. That's enough for you to do. Ready, sir."
This at last was plainly too much for him, and he was relieved, Mark and the major taking it in turns. But even then it was all the poor fellow could do to keep on walking, and the journey back proving longer than they had imagined, it was night and quite a couple of miles away when Jimpny broke down. "I don't mind, gentlemen," he said; "I shall be so near the camp that I sha'n't mind."
Small and the other men were close by smoking, and Jimpny, with his head neatly and cleanly bandaged, was lying upon his chest, resting his elbows on the sand and his chin in his hands, kicking up his heels as he stared at Billy Widgeon and listened to his adventures.
Jimpny started into wakefulness at a touch, and on being spoken to answered, in a vacant wandering way, something about the fire and wanting his spear; but the day was rapidly coming round, and the faces of those in the shelter of the rocks growing visible. "What's the matter?" said the stowaway suddenly. "Have they got off the bales and boxes. No, I I is that you, Mr Mark?"
Some insane idea of getting on board the little vessel that lay in Crater Bay came into his mind for the moment, but with only David Jimpny for helpmate he felt that such an attempt would be useless, and gave it up.
It was close upon dusk when, as Jimpny came slouching along the deck, he encountered the first-mate, and was about to turn aside; but Mr Gregory, who had been chatting with Mark, and patting Bruff, who had won the distinction of giving first warning of the fire, stopped him. "I'm rather rough sometimes with the men, Jimpny, and I have been particularly hard on you.
Mark looked in the direction in which he pointed, and could see the blue water of the lagoon, with to his left the long line of creamy surf and to his right the fringe of cocoa-nut trees just beyond the sand. Jimpny pointed again, and on once more looking searchingly Mark made out a flock of the beautiful long-tailed parroquets which haunted the island groves, but nothing more.
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