Then, as Ellerton appeared, blinking in the strong sunshine, Andy continued:
"Throw those things into the boat, and look sharp. We've wasted enough time and precious cargo this morning--all for the sake of that brute."
During the time the boat was being rowed shoreward, Andy--usually so genial and even-tempered--preserved an almost sullen silence; while Ellerton, annoyed at having failed to bring the bull ashore alive, was also ill at ease. Nor did the latter guess the cause of his friend's glumness till some days later, when he observed Andy repairing a rent in one of his garments. Even a graze from an infuriated bull is likely to cause discomfort, he thought, though there is no reason why others should suffer for it.
"You've been a long time," remarked Mr. McKay, as the three youths made their appearance.
"Yes," admitted Terence, "I'm afraid we have; but we must blame Hoppy's bull."
"Yes, the ox turned out to be a bull--and a tough customer he was," replied Terence, who then proceeded to give Mr. McKay a graphic description of how they had tried to unload the bull from the wreck.
"And how do you feel to-day?" asked Ellerton.
"Considerably better," replied the injured man.
"You've been moved," declared Andy, pointing to some marks in the grass.
"I plead guilty," replied his father with a smile. "Quexo dragged my couch out in the sunshine. I wanted to take an observation at midday. Just hand me that chart. I've pricked our position. Here it is. Reduced to English degrees the latitude is 21° 4' 15" S. and the longitude 134° 17' 14" W. of Greenwich. As I suspected, we are on the fringe of the Low Archipelago, well away from the Great Circle route between Panama and New Zealand, and equally remote from the regular tracks between the Sandwich Islands and Cape Horn. That means that unless a whaler or stray trading vessel puts in here, or that we make the cutter seaworthy enough for a thousand-mile voyage, our stay here is likely to be indefinitely prolonged."
"Nor I, if only my people knew we were safe," added Terence, and Ellerton expressed himself in a similar manner.
"Isn't the heat oppressive?" said Andy. "It's like an oven here."
"Yes," assented his father. "I can see we've made a mistake in choosing this spot. It's splendidly sheltered--too much so--for what with the rocks behind us and the palm groves on either side, the air cannot circulate. We must find a more open spot on the next terrace."