“And after having seen Mrs. Horn,” the mate politely added, “and you two, I don’t wonder he was particular.  When Captain Horn found that the bark out there, the Mary Bartlett, would sail in a week for Acapulco, Mexico, he induced the agents of the company owning her to allow her to stop to take off the shipwrecked party and carry them to that port, from which they could easily get to the United States.”

“But why, in the name of common sense,” almost screamed Mrs. Cliff, “didn’t he come himself?  Why should he stay behind, and send a ship to take us off?”

“That, madam,” said the mate, “I do not know.  I have met Captain Horn before, for he is well known on this coast, and I know he is a man who understands how to attend to his own business, and, therefore, I suppose he has good reasons for what he has done—­which reasons, no doubt, he has mentioned in his letter to his wife.  All I can tell you is that, after he had had a good deal of trouble with the agents, we were at last ordered to touch here.  He could not give us the exact latitude and longitude of this spot, but as his boat kept on a straight westward course after he left here, he got a good idea of the latitude from the Mexican brig which he boarded three days afterwards.  Then he gave us a plan of the coast, which helped us very much, and soon after we got within sight of land, our lookout spied that signal you put up.  So here we are; and I have orders to take you all off just as soon as possible, for we must not lie here a minute longer than is necessary.  I do not suppose that, under the circumstances, you have much baggage to take away with you, and I shall have to ask you to get ready to leave as soon as you can.”

“All right,” cried Ralph.  “It won’t take us long to get ready.”

But Mrs. Cliff answered never a word.  In fact, the injunction to prepare to leave had fallen unheeded upon her ear.  Her mind was completely occupied entirely with one question:  Why did not the captain come himself?

She hastened to Edna, who had finished reading the letter, and now stood silent, holding it in her hand.

“What does he say?” exclaimed Mrs. Cliff.  “What are his reasons for staying away?  What does he tell you about his plans?  Read us the letter.  You can leave out all the loving and confidential parts, but give us his explanations.  I never was so anxious to know anything in all my life.”

“I will read you the whole of it,” said Edna.  “Here, Ralph.”

Her brother came running up.  “That man is in an awful hurry to get away,” he said.  “We ought to go up to the caves and get our things.”

“Stay just where you are,” said Mrs. Cliff.  “Before we do anything else, we must know what Captain Horn intends to do, and what he wants us to do.”

“That’s so!” cried Ralph, suddenly remembering his guardianship.  “We ought to know what he says about leaving that mound.  Read away, Edna.”