Having managed the affair of the grating, he knew that he was safe for the present.

So, when he reached the higher bushes, he stopped, well hidden by them, and looked back.

In two or three minutes the captain and the two men appeared on the deck, and he laughed quietly to himself.

He could see that their faces were contorted by rage.

They could follow his trail some distance at least in the sand, but he knew that they would be cautious.