By this time no one doubted that there were men on this part of the island; but whether they were the crew of the privateer or not was yet to be proved.
"Steamer, ahoy!" shouted some one on the shore.
"On the island!" replied Christy, as he was instructed to do by his superior.
"What steamer is that ?" demanded the speaker on the island.
Whoever he was, he could not help knowing that a steamer was there, for the engineer had begun to blow off steam as soon as the screw stopped, though neither party could see the other in the fog and darkness.
"The Teaser," replied Christy.

"Who are you ?" "We are the ship's company of the Teaser, and we want to get on board," replied the speaker.

"Is Captain Folkner on board ?" "He is on board--of the Bellevite," the third lieutenant would have finished the sentence if he had told the whole truth, for he uttered only the first part of the sentence.
"All right.

The first and second lieutenants are with us.

Is Gilder on board ?" "He is; and he wants to get back to the other side of the inland," answered Christy, who considered it his duty to make his replies as suitable to the occasion as possible.