A dark, staring face
appeared very near her eyes, black fingers caught the gunwale of the
boat. She stood up swaying. "Take care," said Lingard again, but this
time, in the light, did not offer to help her. She went up alone and he
followed her over the rail.
The quarter-deck was thronged by men of two races. Lingard and Mrs.
Travers crossed it rapidly between the groups that moved out of the
way on their passage. Lingard threw open the cabin door for her, but
remained on deck to inquire about his boats. They had returned while he
was on board the yacht, and the two men in charge of them came aft to
make their reports. The boat sent north had seen nothing. The boat
which had been directed to explore the banks and islets to the south had
actually been in sight of Daman's praus. The man in charge reported
that several fires were burning on the shore, the crews of the two praus
being encamped on a sandbank. Cooking was going on. They had been near
enough to hear the voices. There was a man keeping watch on the ridge;
they knew this because they heard him shouting to the people below, by
the fires. Lingard wanted to know how they had managed to remain unseen.
"The night was our hiding place," answered the man in his deep growling
voice. He knew nothing of any white men being in Daman's camp.
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