He required no second bidding. After hastily gulping down the contents of several leaves he returned with a further supply. Iris was now sitting up. The sun had burst royally through the clouds, and her chilled limbs were gaining some degree of warmth and elasticity.
"What is it?" she repeated after another delicious draught.
"The leaf of the pitcher-plant. Nature is not always cruel. In an unusually generous mood she devised this method of storing water."
Miss Deane reached out her hand for more. Her troubled brain refused to wonder at such a reply from an ordinary seaman. The sailor deliberately spilled the contents of a remaining leaf on the sand.
"No, madam," he said, with an odd mixture of deference and firmness.
"No more at present. I must first procure you some food."
She looked up at him in momentary silence.
"The ship is lost?" she said after a pause.
"Yes, madam."
"Are we the only people saved?"
"I fear so."
"Is this a desert island?"
"I think not, madam. It may, by chance, be temporarily uninhabited, but fishermen from China come to all these places to collect tortoise-sh.e.l.l and _beche-de-mer_. I have seen no other living beings except ourselves; nevertheless, the islanders may live on the south side."
Another pause. Amidst the thrilling sensations of the moment Iris found herself idly speculating as to the meaning of _beche-de-mer_, and why this common sailor p.r.o.nounced French so well. Her thoughts reverted to the steamer.
"It surely cannot be possible that the _Sirdar_ has gone to pieces--a magnificent vessel of her size and strength?"
He answered quietly--"It is too true, madam. I suppose you hardly knew she struck, it happened so suddenly. Afterwards, fortunately for you, you were unconscious."
"How do you know?" she inquired quickly. A flood of vivid recollection was pouring in upon her.
"I--er--well, I happened to be near you, madam, when the ship broke up, and we--er--drifted ash.o.r.e together."
She rose and faced him. "I remember now," she cried hysterically. "You caught me as I was thrown into the corridor. We fell into the sea when the vessel turned over. You have saved my life. Were it not for you I could not possibly have escaped."
She gazed at him more earnestly, seeing that he blushed beneath the crust of salt and sand that covered his face. "Why," she went on with growing excitement, "you are the steward I noticed in the saloon yesterday. How is it that you are now dressed as a sailor?"
He answered readily enough. "There was an accident on board during the gale, madam. I am a fair sailor but a poor steward, so I applied for a transfer. As the crew were short-handed my offer was accepted."
Iris was now looking at him intently.
"You saved my life," she repeated slowly. It seemed that this obvious fact needed to be indelibly established in her mind. Indeed the girl was overwrought by all that she had gone through. Only by degrees were her thoughts marshaling themselves with lucid coherence. As yet, she recalled so many dramatic incidents that they failed to a.s.sume due proportion.
But quickly there came memories of Captain Ross, of Sir John and Lady Tozer, of the doctor, her maid, the hundred and one individualities of her pleasant life aboard ship. Could it be that they were all dead? The notion was monstrous. But its ghastly significance was instantly borne in upon her by the plight in which she stood. Her lips quivered; the tears trembled in her eyes.
"Is it really true that all the ship"s company except ourselves are lost?" she brokenly demanded.
The sailor"s gravely earnest glance fell before hers. "Unhappily there is no room for doubt," he said.
"Are you quite, quite sure?"
"I am sure--of some." Involuntarily he turned seawards.
She understood him. She sank to her knees, covered her face with her hands, and broke into a pa.s.sion of weeping. With a look of infinite pity he stooped and would have touched her shoulder, but he suddenly restrained the impulse. Something had hardened this man. It cost him an effort to be callous, but he succeeded. His mouth tightened and his expression lost its tenderness.
"Come, come, my dear lady," he exclaimed, and there was a tinge of studied roughness in his voice, "you must calm yourself. It is the fortune of shipwreck as well as of war, you know. We are alive and must look after ourselves. Those who have gone are beyond our help."
"But not beyond our sympathy," wailed Iris, uncovering her swimming eyes for a fleeting look at him. Even in the utter desolation of the moment she could not help marveling that this queer-mannered sailor, who spoke like a gentleman and tried to pose as her inferior, who had rescued her with the utmost gallantry, who carried his Quixotic zeal to the point of first supplying her needs when he was in far worse case himself, should be so utterly indifferent to the fate of others.
He waited silently until her sobs ceased.
"Now, madam," he said, "it is essential that we should obtain some food. I don"t wish to leave you alone until we are better acquainted with our whereabouts. Can you walk a little way towards the trees, or shall I a.s.sist you?"
Iris immediately stood up. She pressed her hair back defiantly.
"Certainly I can walk," she answered. "What do you propose to do?"
"Well, madam--"
"What is your name?" she interrupted imperiously.
"Jenks, madam. Robert Jenks."
"Thank you. Now, listen, Mr. Robert Jenks. My name is Miss Iris Deane.
On board ship I was a pa.s.senger and you were a steward--that is, until you became a seaman. Here we are equals in misfortune, but in all else you are the leader--I am quite useless. I can only help in matters by your direction, so I do not wish to be addressed as "madam" in every breath. Do you understand me?"
Conscious that her large blue eyes were fixed indignantly upon him Mr.
Robert Jenks repressed a smile. She was still hysterical and must be humored in her vagaries. What an odd moment for a discussion on etiquette!
"As you wish, Miss Deane," he said. "The fact remains that I have many things to attend to, and we really must eat something."
"What can we eat?"
"Let us find out," he replied, scanning the nearest trees with keen scrutiny.
They plodded together through the sand in silence. Physically, they were a superb couple, but in raiment they resembled scarecrows. Both, of course, were bare-headed. The sailor"s jersey and trousers were old and torn, and the sea-water still soughed loudly in his heavy boots with each step.
But Iris was in a deplorable plight. Her hair fell in a great wave of golden brown strands over her neck and shoulders. Every hairpin had vanished, but with a few dexterous twists she coiled the flying tresses into a loose knot. Her beautiful muslin dress was rent and draggled. It was drying rapidly under the ever-increasing power of the sun, and she surrept.i.tiously endeavored to complete the fastening of the open portion about her neck. Other details must be left until a more favorable opportunity.
She recalled the strange sight that first met her eyes when she recovered consciousness.
"You hurt your finger," she said abruptly. "Let me see it."
They had reached the shelter of the trees, pleasantly grateful now, so powerful are tropical sunbeams at even an early hour.
He held out his right hand without looking at her. Indeed, his eyes had been studiously averted during the past few minutes. Her womanly feelings were aroused by the condition of the ragged wound.