Evidently he went to warn the inhabitants of a wretched hut, suddenly visible in the midst of a patch of maize and cassava, that there were those at hand who needed shelter.
A dog barked--Marcel whistled softly, and the animal began to whimper.
The Brazilian vanished.

Hozier still held Iris in his arms; his heart was beating tumultuously; his throat ached with the labor of his lungs.
His straining ears caught rustlings among the grass and roots, but otherwise a solemn peace brooded over the scene.

Just beyond the hut, which was shielded from the arid hill by a grove of curiously contorted trees, the inner heights of the island rose abruptly.

Something that resembled a column of cloud showed behind the rugged sky-line of the land.

Even while he waited there, he saw a glint of light on its eastern side.