I sat as the sailors had left me at that table, lost in thought, bending all the energies of my mind to full realisation of my situation, that my judgment might soundly advise me. I daresay I remained thus for above twenty minutes as motionless as ever was the dead figure that we had met with in the deck-house of the wreck. Then slowly rising, I went to one of the cabin windows and stood mechanically staring at the piebald sky that would come with a sweep, as the vessel rolled to windward, to the throbbing line of the frothing horizon; and thus I continued, still thinking, weighing one consideration and then another, forming resolutions which the next effort of thought rendered helplessly idle, until I had arrived at a determination; when, starting from my deep and painful reverie, I descended into the steerage and knocked on Miss Temple’s cabin door. She immediately opened it. ‘At last!’ she cried. ‘Oh, Mr. Dugdale, what have you to tell me now?’ ‘Let us go to the cabin,’ I answered; ‘we shall be alone there. The gloom of these quarters is horribly depressing.’ My manner caused her to regard me for a moment or two with a feverish eagerness of scrutiny; she then mounted the steps, and I followed her. ‘I wish I had news to give that might comfort you,’ said I, seating myself at her side. ‘The men left me half an hour ago. I have been thinking my hardest since, and will tell you now how matters stand, and how I believe I must act.’ She breathed quickly, but said nothing. Her eyes devoured me, so passionate was her curiosity and fear. ‘The captain’s conversation with me,’ I began, ‘was, as you know, overheard by the rogue Wilkins, who waits upon us. He must have hearkened thirstily; not a syllable did he lose, and every sentence he carried forward to the crew. They are fully convinced of the truth of the crazy story; they are firmly persuaded that there are some two hundred thousand pounds’ worth of golden coin buried in that South Sea island; they were also made aware by that scoundrel listener that I had insisted upon having an agreement signed and witnessed; which of course confirmed them in their opinion that I myself believe in the captain’s story up to the hilt. Their demand, then, is, that I should navigate the ship to the island, that they may dig up the money hidden in it.’ She listened with silent horror. ‘They laugh at my assurance that the captain was mad,’ I went on, ‘and they see nothing in his suicide to cause them to doubt that his story is absolutely true.’ ‘And what did you tell them?’ ‘That I must have time to think, and will give them an answer by noon.’ ‘What _do_ you think?’ she demanded, searching my gaze with her proud eyes. ‘I see nothing for it but to undertake to sail the ship to the South Pacific.’ ‘Are you mad?’ she almost shrieked. ‘To the South Pacific! Did you not say to them that you will insist upon their stopping the first ship that passes, and putting you and me on board of her?’