Could it be that
they were afraid--altogether broken and demoralized by the slaughter of
the preceding night? How quickly the acts of this drama shifted their
scenes! Sixteen hours ago, she and Christobal were actually
participating in the defense of the ship's last stronghold; now, the
broad decks resembled the inner spaces of some impregnable fort, while
the war was being carried into the enemy's territory. Yet the mortal
peril which overshadowed them was threatening as ever. Life seemed to
be doled out grudgingly, by minutes.
Suddenly she had a breathless desire to know why Courtenay was so sure
that the men to whose help he had gone were really members of the crew.
Christobal, dreading her despairing questions, was standing in the
position he had occupied before Boyle dragged him into prominence. The
chief officer was bracing a telescope against the ensign staff, and
keeping the lifeboat in a full field. Gray, she noticed, was not
looking towards Guanaco Hill, but swept all parts of the coastline
constantly with his binoculars. The Spaniard's field-glasses were
slung around his neck.
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