The boy, however,
expressed his willingness to visit the schooner by entering the dinghy
and seating himself in its stern.
"That will do," said White. "The others won't run away without him,
and he is the only one we want anyhow."
So the boat was rowed out to the anchored schooner, while those left on
the beach watched the departure of their son and brother with the same
apathy that they had shown towards all the other happenings of that
eventful morning.
"Look at the young scarecrow, taking things as coolly as though he had
always been used to having white men row him about a harbour," laughed
Cabot, "and yet I don't suppose he was ever in a regular boat before."
"No," agreed White, "I don't suppose he ever was."
They did not allow Arsenic to enter the "Sea Bee's" cabin, but made him
stay on deck, where, however, he appeared perfectly contented and at
his ease. Here Cabot brought the various supplies for their proposed
journey and put them up in neat packages while White prepared
breakfast. The former had supposed that their guest would be greatly
interested in what he was doing, but the young savage manifested the
utmost indifference to all that took place. In fact he seemed to pay
no attention to Cabot's movements, but squatted on the deck, and gazed
in silent meditation at the beach, where his mother and sisters could
be seen also seated in motionless expectation.
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