Ned gave as accurate a description as he could of the place,
supplementing it with a careful pencil sketch from memory on a leaf torn
from his pocket-book, showing the island as it would appear to a person
approaching it from the eastward, and winding up with the statement that
he believed it would be possible to distinguish the top of the
mountain--the highest point of the island--from the spot where they
were, on a clear day.

"Thank you, Ned; that is capital," said the skipper, with renewed
animation, as the lad finished his statement and handed over the sketch.
"Now," he continued, "do you know what I mean to do?"

"I fancy I can guess," answered Ned. "Unless I am mistaken, it is your
intention to rejoin the passengers as soon as possible."

"Precisely," agreed the skipper. "You could not have hit it off more
accurately if you had tried for an hour. Yes; these villains are going
to put it most effectually out of my power to do my duty to my owners,
but they shall not prevent me from doing my duty to my passengers.
Manners and I will make our way to that island as soon as ever we can
knock something together to carry us there. Poor souls! I hope they
will manage to keep soul and body together until we can get to them.
After that I flatter myself that matters will not go so very hard with
them after all."

"Quite so, sir," said Ned. "From the moment that Williams announced his
intention of putting you ashore here, the thought has been in my mind
that it would be a good thing for all hands if you could manage to join
Mr Gaunt and his party."

But whilst he said this, the lad could not help smiling at the
unconscious egotism displayed by the skipper in his last remark; Ned's
own private opinion being that, with a man of such inexhaustible
resource as the engineer had proved himself to be, at the helm of
affairs, the little party on the island were likely to get on almost as
well without Captain Blyth as with him. He had, however, far too much
respect for his commander to allow this idea to reveal itself either in
his speech or his manner.

"Very well," said the skipper, in reply to Ned's last remark, "you now
know our intentions, so I will trouble you, Ned--since I understand you
to say that Williams has commissioned you to look out a few things for
us--to look out as good a supply as you can of such things as will
enable us to carry out our plans. We shall want first a small supply of
provisions and wate