Chapter THIRTY-FOUR

On the fourth day Redmond woke up uneasily. He was tortured by a mental uneasiness such as oftentimes precedes events of great moment in life. He had the feeling of impending disaster and a gloomy mood cast its overshadowing mantle about him, penetrating not only his mind but also his body until it seemed to sap all his strength.

He tried vainly to cast it from him, but his efforts were of no avail. Sluggishly and almost sullenly he forced himself forward and made his way to the meeting place. Once there, he threw himself down behind the rock and almost automatically peered out as cautiously as ever upon the beach below.

What he saw immediately dispelled the shadows of gloom and galvanized him into alert attention. The entire piratical crew with Johnston in the lead was walking down to the airplane. In the rear were some of the Kanakas, carrying packages which he rightly guessed were supplies.

He quickly surmised that they were about to make a flight, and he watched them with the keenest interest. It did not take long to transfer the load the Kanakas had carried into the airplane, and within a short time afterwards the machine taxied over the surface of the water and took off into the air.

Redmond was well covered where he was, as the tropical vegetation was quite thick about the rock. His previous stay upon the island had proven that there was no prospect of his being seen from the air, even when the machine flew low over the island, which it rarely did. On this occasion it flew straight over sea, climbing rapidly as it went.

Shortly after the Kanakas had returned to the hut Redmond’s heart leapt with joy, as he saw Mary emerge from the living house. She looked around a few moments and began to walk toward the rock. Redmond could scarcely restrain his impulsive desire to jump up and meet her. Only the realization of the utter folly of such a move restrained him. As she came within hearing distance, he called out:

“Good morning, Miss Mary! I’ve been very worried about you. You don’t know how relieved I am.”

She quickly took her place near him, but still in full view of the beach, pretending to be reading a book which she had purposely brought with her.

“I am awfully glad to get here,” she said.

Redmond paused a few moments, wondering what to say, but finally blurted out:

“I’ve been imagining all kinds of terrible things, Mary, and reviling myself for having sent you back to that gang.”

Suddenly he stopped short and reddened deeply, as he realized that he had called her familiarly for the first time in his life. She turned toward him as he spoke and noticed his evident embarrassment. She immediately divined the cause, but with true feminine wisdom passed it by pretending not to have noticed it.

“I couldn’t get out before,” she said, “because they have been watching me all the time. Levanter is very ill. He is quite feverish, and at times has been a little delirious. He kept saying that the man Harrison had betrayed him and that I had helped him to do it. The rest of them couldn’t get any sense out of Levanter’s words but Johnston has become very suspicious. He has been pestering me with questions all the time he was not trying to get some sense out of Levanter. I’m sure that he is really mad. Last night he threatened me and kept bullying me, trying to find how Levanter was shot. At first he accused me of doing it but he doesn’t any more. Last night he told me he was determined to find out what was back of it all. He said he would go out in the airplane to see if any of the government ships were ‘snooping around.’ Those were the words he used. Really, I am afraid of him.”

Redmond thought long and deeply. He was convinced that the time for action had arrived, but precipitate action might spoil all chance of safety. What should he do? If only the other cruiser were here they could both seize this opportunity and leave the island. He hated himself at the present thought of sending the girl he loved back to the pirate gang. The situation had already passed into the critical stage, and there was no telling what might happen when the crew arrived. Nor was there any doubt that the pirate crew would soon discover the cruiser which must be heading toward the island by this time, now that the pirates were in the air.

Suddenly he made up his mind. Turning to the girl beside him, he said gravely:

“Mary, I’m not going to let you go back there.”

“But do you think that’s safe?” she inquired. “I’m not a bit afraid as long as I know you are on the island, Mr. Redmond. They would come after me surely, don’t you think, and you know your cruiser is not here yet.”

“It’s a risk whatever we do,” he said, “and I prefer taking the risk which I can control best. You know I’m armed now, and we could fight them from cover if they came after us and located us. When they get back this time, there’s no telling what they’ll do. That gang of cut-throats would abandon Levanter readily enough if they figured it was necessary to save their own skins. They are just as likely to fly away tomorrow for good as not, and if they did they would probably take you along with them. I hate to think of it and I’m not going to take the chance. That man Johnston probably suspects that the government authorities know the island he is on now. I feel sure that’s why he went off in the airplane this morning.

“Do you really think it’s best then that I go with you?” asked Mary.

“Indeed I do,” replied Redmond, “and I think it best to get started right away.”