Just then Captain Applegarth appeared on the scene.
He had gone down by the companion-way into the saloon below, after Mr
Fosset had left the poop, to look at the barometer in his cabin, and now
came along the upper deck and on to the bridge amidships, startling us
with his sudden presence.
The skipper had a sharp eye, which was so trained by observation in all
sorts of weather that he could see in the dark, like a cat, almost as
well as he could by daylight.
Looking round and scanning our faces as well as he could in the
prevailing gloom, he soon perceived that something was wrong.
"Huh!" he exclaimed. "What's the row about?"
"There's no row, sir," explained the first mate in an off-hand tone of
bravado, which he tried to give a jocular ring to, but could not very
successfully. "This youngster Haldane here swears he saw a full-rigged
ship on our lee quarter awhile ago, flying a signal of distress; but
neither Mr Spokeshave, who was on the watch, nor myself, could make her
out where Haldane said he saw her."
"Indeed?"
"No, sir," continued Mr Fosset; "nor could the helmsman or old Greazer
here, who came up with the binnacle lamp at the time. Not one of us
could see this wonderful ship of Haldane's, though it was pretty clear
all round then, and we all looked in the direction to which he pointed."
"That's strange," said Captain Applegarth, "very strange."
"Quite so, sir, just what we all think, sir," chimed in Master
Spokeshave, putting in his oar. "Not a soul here on the bridge, sir,
observed anything of any ship of any sort, leastways one flying a signal
of distress, such as Dick Haldane said he saw."
"Humph!" ejaculated the skipper, as if turning the matter over in his
mind for the moment; and then addressing me point blank he asked me
outright, "Do you really believe you saw this ship, Haldane?"
"Yes, sir," I answered as directly as he had questioned me; "I'll swear
I did."
"No, I don't want you to do that; I'll take your word for it without any
swearing, Haldane," said the skipper to this, speaking to me quietly and
as kindly as if he had been my father. "But listen to me, my boy. I do
not doubt your good faith for a moment, mind that. Still, are you sure
that what you believe you saw might not have been some optical illusion
proceeding from the effects of the afterglow at sunset? It was very
bright and vivid, you know, and the reflection of a passing cloud above
the horizon or its shadow just before the sun dipped might have caused
that very appearance which you took to be a ship under sail. I have
myself been often mistaken in the same way under similar atmospheric
surroundings and that is why I put it to you like this, to learn whether
you are quite certain you might not be mistaken?"
"Quite so," shoved in Spokeshave again in his parrot fashion; "quite so,
sir."
"I didn't ask your opinion," growled the skipper, shutting him up in a
twinkling; and then, turning to me again, he looked at me inquiringly.
"Well, Haldane, have you thought it out?"
"Yes, captain, I have," I replied firmly, though respectfully, the ill-
timed interference of the objectionable Mr Spokeshave having made me as
obstinate as Mr Fosset. "It was no optical illusion or imagination on
my part, sir, or anything of that sort, I assure you, sir. I am telling
you the truth, sir, and no lie. I saw that ship, sir, to leeward of us
just now as clearly as I can see you at this moment; aye, clearer, sir!"
"Then that settles the matter. I've never had occasion to doubt your
word before during the years you've sailed with me, my boy, and I am not
going to doubt it now."
So saying, Captain Applegarth, putting his arm on my shoulder, faced
round towards the first mate and Spokeshave, as if challenging them both
to question my veracity after this testimony on his part in my favour.
"This ship, you say, Haldane," then continued the skipper, proceeding to
interrogate me as to the facts of the case, now that my credulity had
been established, in his sharp, sailor-like way, "was flying a signal of
distress, eh?"
"Yes, sir," I answered with zest, all animation and excitement again at
his encouragement. "She had her flag, the French tricolour, I think,
sir, hoisted half-mast at her peak; and she appeared, sir, a good deal
battered about, as if she had been in bad weather and had made the worst
of it. Besides, cappen--"