But the girl interrupted his ugly thoughts as he stood there straining his eyes out into the dark. "How splendid! How glorious!" cried she. "Only to think that we're going to see people again! Can you imagine it?" "Hardly." "Why, what's the matter? You--speak as though you weren't--_saved!_" "I didn't mean to. It's--just surprise, I guess." "Come! Let's signal them with a fire from the tower top. _I'll_ help carry wood. Let's hurry down and run and meet them!" Highly excited, the girl had got to her feet again, and now, clutched the engineer's arm in burning eagerness. "Let's go! Go--at once! This minute!" But he restrained her. "You don't really think that would be quite prudent, do you?" asked he. "Not just yet?" "Why not?" "Why, can't you see? We--that is, there is no way to tell--" "But they're coming to save us, can't you see? Somehow, somewhere, they must have caught that signal! And shall we wait, and perhaps let them lose us, after all?" "Certainly not. But first we--why, we ought to make quite sure, you understand. Sure that they--they're really civilized, you know." "But they _must_ be, to have read the wireless!" "Oh, you're counting on that, are you? Well, that's a big assumption. It won't do. No, we've got to go slow in this game. Got to wait. Wait, and see. Easy does it!" He tried to speak boldly and with nonchalance, but the girl's keen ear detected at least a little of the emotion that was troubling him. She kept a moment's silence, while the quivering lights drew on and on, steadily, slowly, like a host of fireflies on the bosom of the night. "Why don't you get the telescope, and see?" she asked, at length. "No use. It isn't a night-glass. Couldn't see a thing." "But anyhow, those lights mean _men_, don't they?" "Naturally. But until we know what kind, we're better off right where we are. I'm willing to welcome the coming guest, all right, if he's peaceful. Otherwise, it's powder and ball, hot water, stones and things for him!" The girl stared a moment at the engineer, while this new idea took root within her brain. "You--you don't mean," she faltered at last, "that these may be--_savages!_" He started at the word. "What makes you think that?" he parried, striving to spare her all needless alarm. She pondered a moment, while the fire-dots, like a shoal of swimming stars, drew slowly nearer, nearer the Manhattan shore. "Tell me, _are_ they savages?" "How do I know?" "It's easy enough to see you've got an opinion about it. You _think_ they're savages, don't you?" "I think it's very possible." "And if so--what then?" "What then? Why, in case they aren't mighty nice and kind, there'll be a hot time in the old town, that's all. And somebody'll get hurt. It won't be _us!_" Beatrice asked no more, for a minute or two, but the engineer felt her fingers tighten on his arm. "I'm with you, till the end!" she whispered.