What part of the conversation aboard the yacht is planned to awaken the reader's curiousity and fear concerning the island in "The Most Dangerous...

The very first sentence awakens the reader's curiosity
about the island. Whitney claims that it is a mysterious
island:

OFF
THERE to the right--somewhere--is a large island, said Whitney. It's rather a
mystery--

Rainsford and
Whitney continue to have a conversation about the island. Whitney claims that the crew
has been rather tense since they have been in the
area:

Didn't
you notice that the crew's nerves seemed a bit jumpy
today?

Rainsford agrees that
the crew did seem a bit strange. There is obviously something dreadful about the island.
Even the Captain is concerned as they pass through the area. He confirms that the "place
has an evil name among seafaring men...."

Whitney and
Rainsford continue to talk about the superstitions of the island. It is a black,
moonless night which makes things seem even more eerie. The reader is definitely curious
at this point. Also, there is a fear that captures the reader's attention when Whitney
and Rainsford talk of the evils of this island.

There is a
doom and gloom present in Whitney's and Rainsford's conversation at this point. The fear
of the unknown is real. Whatever is on that island is dreadful. Whitney definitely peaks
the the reader's interest by his eerie details of the island. He shares more of his
conversation with the Captain speaking first as they pass through the
area:

'Don't
you feel anything?'--as if the air about us was actually poisonous. 'Now, you mustn't
laugh when I tell you this--I did feel something like a sudden
chill.'

Whitney admits that
he felt an eerie chill. There is something dangerous about the island. The reader is
convinced of the dangers that exist on the island. The last thing one would want to do
is to fall off the yacht in this God-forsaken
area.