Page:Cornelia Meigs--The island of Appledore.djvu/88

70 the harbour of Appledore Island and I knew, when I stepped ashore, that I would never set  sail again.”

Captain Saulsby finished his story and shifted warily in his place. He glanced over his shoulder at the rising bank of clouds, but  betrayed no surprise.

“I knew by the feel of the wind that some such thing was coming,” he said calmly. “If somebody’s going to pick us up in time they’ll  have to hurry a bit.”

He made one or two efforts to talk further, but the pauses between his sentences became  longer and longer. Billy suddenly realized that each had been trying to keep the other interested so that the ominous bank of clouds  might go as long as possible unnoticed. He observed that the old sailor seemed very weary,  that more than once his hands slipped from  their hold and had to take a fresh grip. He tried to whistle to keep up the spirits of both  of them, but the tune sounded high and queer  and cracked, and he gave it up. At last Captain Saulsby broke silence suddenly.

“No one seems to be finding us,” he said, “and we can’t hold on forever. There’s something I must tell you, in case you should be