He has awonderful place over there, hasnt
he?
I felt myself set down on a possible
battlefieldwith no sign of the commander-in-chief. This is a queer ship, she said,
and queer people. Seatrout were jumpingmerrily at the stream mouth. Miss Ludlow took
them down a steep companion into a narrow alleylined with cabins. Magnificent,
wonderful, terrible, inhuman,like some devastating force of nature. In two
thingsonly it deviated into luxury. She was bare-headed and hadwonderful red hair.
He lifted his glass and looked towards Lydia, drinking the lastmouthful as if it
were a toast.
He listened with headlifted, rather like a stag at
gaze, a smile wrinkling his leancheeks. The Skipper bowed to Anna and nodded
pleasantly to Peter John. It gives us a sitter, when the other way is an ugly
gamble.
We arenot a very commodious ship, so you mustnt
mind rather rough beds. Surely that alters our whole plan, he said.
I lifted up anend which had been neatly cut
through.
There were no hawks, except oneIceland falcon which
we got a fleeting glimpse of in the Channel.
A shout from himcalled my attention to a pair of
purple sandpipers. There werepastures beside the burns, as bright with flowers as
any Englishmeadow. Down at the harbour there isJacob Gregarsen, who is in charge of
the motor-boat.
In the dim,misty brume which was all the northern
night, we stumbled about theisland.
What struck me especially was that everything was
of the best andprobably of high value.
We went early to bed, but before turning in I had
one word withHaraldsen about serious business. The lady made tea, and much
conversation. He was sotaut and straight that he had the look of an unsheathed
sword. The Skipper must have put a spoke in his wheel, for hesdevil enough for
anything.
There is Arn Arnason in the house, he
said.
Clearly it was a comfort to him that he was
following a longtradition. This wasbeyond doubt the Spaniard Carreras. But the
island itselfproduced most of his supplies. Youllfind everything you want there, my
dears, she said. We want a gooddeal, but the Skipper may want everything. Ive had
the same idea myself, but Itell you it wont do. But my decision did not greatly
comfort me, for I could not getSandys words out of my head.
Immediately after luncheon I rang up Hjalmarshavn,
but could notget through.