All at once, just as our life at sea was as calm and peaceful as could
be, Captain Berriman grew quite queer in his manner. He was pleasant
enough to the passengers, and I never had an unkind word from him, but
he was most tyrannical to a number of the men, ordering them about,
making them set fresh sail, take it down, and altering his orders
half-a-dozen times over, till the men used to go about muttering, and
more than once I heard words spoken about him that were startling, to
say the least.
One evening when it was very dark, the moon not having risen, I was
looking over the side and down into the calm, black water which was as
full of tiny specks of light as the sky above me, and every now and then
these little glittering points beneath the surface would be driven here
and there as if a fish had swum sharply by. It was all so beautiful, to
watch point after point gliding about lower and lower till all was jet
black, that I had forgotten everything, heard nothing, till all at once
just behind me I heard Mr Brymer say--
"Of course it is very unpleasant for me. I'm afraid the men will not
stand much more of it. Do you think he is going mad?"