"No; I feel sure that it is only a temporary trouble due to the heat and
over-anxiety about the ship."
"But he is getting worse; and twice over to-day I felt as if I ought to
shut him up in his cabin and take charge altogether."
"No, I should not do that," said Mr Frewen, "so long as nothing serious
goes wrong. If he really gets too bad, I suppose I must help you by
justifying your proceedings in superseding him."
"For the owners' sake, of course."
"Of course. It is a very serious position for us both. But there, he
may be better to-morrow. If not, we must hope for the improvement when
we get further south."
"Then you would not take command?"
"Certainly not, under the present circumstances."
"Halloa!" cried Mr Brymer--"a spy! Who's that--Walters?"
"No, sir; it is I."
"And what are you doing there, listening?"
"I was watching the phosphorescence of the sea, sir, and you came and
stood close to me and began talking."
"And you heard?" said Mr Frewen.
"Every word, sir."
"And do you know that we were talking about Mr Denning?" said the mate.
"No; you were talking about the captain."
They were silent for a few moments, and then Mr Frewen spoke.
"Look here, Dale," he said, "this is a delicate matter. You have seen
that Captain Berriman is ill?"
"I thought he was very strange, and a bit cross sometimes."
"Far worse than that. Look here, Dale, if you go chattering about what
you have heard," said Mr Brymer, "you may make a great deal of
mischief."
"I am not likely to talk about it to anybody unless it be to Mr
Denning," I said, feeling a little hurt.
"Then pray don't mention it to him. It would only make him and his
sister uneasy," cried Mr Frewen, quickly.
"I'm afraid they've seen enough for themselves," said Mr Brymer. "Look
here, youngster, I shall speak plainly to you, because you are a
sensible lad. If you spoke about what we have said, and it reached
Captain Berriman's ear now he is in that excitable state, he would
immediately think I was conspiring against him, go frantic, and there
might be terrible mischief. So don't say a word, even to your messmate,
or he'll go chattering to that French scoundrel and the rest of the men.
By the way, Dale, let me give you a word of advice. I don't like the
way in which young Walters is going on. It is not becoming for a
midshipman or apprentice to make friends too readily with the sailors.
Don't you follow his example."
"I don't sir," I said indignantly.
"Softly, my lad; I've seen you talking a good deal with that old fellow
Hampton, and the two men with him."
"Oh yes; I have talked to them a good deal," I said: "but it was only
when we were on the watch, and I wanted them to tell me something about
the sea."
"Ah, well, be careful, my lad. Here, shake hands. I'm not cross with
you, for you have behaved uncommonly well since you've been on board.
There, that will do."
"Good-night, Dale," said Mr Frewen, kindly; "a still tongue maketh a
wise head, my lad."
They walked on, and disappeared in the darkness directly, while I stood
with my back to the bulwarks and my hands in my pockets, thinking about
what they had said, and recalling the little things I had thought
nothing of at the time, but which came back now looking to be big
things. Yes, I remembered the captain had certainly been rather strange
in his manner sometimes. Why, of course, Mr Denning had said to his
sister that the captain need not be so disagreeable to the men.
I was just wondering what would happen, and then thinking that it would
not make much difference if Mr Brymer were captain, and that it would
be better perhaps for Captain Berriman to lie by and be attended by Mr
Frewen, when I heard a sound over my head--something like a low hiss.
"Some kind of night-bird," I thought. But the next moment I felt quite
startled, for the sound was repeated, and I knew now that it was some
one whispering. Then, as I stood quite still in the darkness, with the
glow coming from the cabin-windows and from the binnacle-light, there
was a faint rushing up above, and a little off to my left, and directly
after I knew what it was,--somebody's feet on the ratlines coming down
from the main-top.
There was no sail being made or reduced, and it seemed strange for any
one to be up there, and it had just struck me that perhaps it was
Captain Berriman, who had seen Mr Brymer and Mr Frewen talking
together and had gone up to listen, when, so close to me that I wondered
I was not seen, somebody stepped down on to the top of the bulwarks, and
then swung himself softly on to the deck; then crouching down close
under the side, he crept forward swiftly and was gone.
"That couldn't have been the captain," I thought; "the step was too
light. It was some one quite active."
I was thinking of going forward to try and make out, when there was
another rustling noise above, which recalled the whispering that had
passed out of my mind for the moment; then the rustling continued, and
some one else came down, stepped lightly on the deck, and stood
perfectly still as if looking about to see if any one was near.
It was so dark that I could not make out who it was till he walked aft
not very far from where I stood, and a few moments later I saw who it
was, for his figure came between my eyes and the glow from the
cabin-windows.
"Why, it was Walters," I said to myself, and then I began to wonder more
and more what it all meant. I ran it over in my mind, but I could not
think of any one at all likely to be Walters' companion at night in the
main-top; in fact, I could not think of any one at all likely to climb
up so high, or even half-way up the shrouds.
"It couldn't have been a cabin passenger," I thought, "for he went
forward; nor yet one of the steerage people."
Then I knew, and wondered that I had not thought of him at first.
"Why, it was Jarette," I said to myself. "He's as light and active as a
cat."
I waited a bit; and then went slowly right forward and stood for a time
with the men at the look-out, to gaze right away into the soft, hot,
black darkness, thinking how easily we might run into another vessel, or
another vessel run into us. Then setting my face aft, I went back along
the starboard side, and made my way, blinking like an owl after being so
long in the darkness, into the saloon-cabin, where the passengers were
sitting about, some reading, others working, and where on one side I
found Mr Denning playing chess with his sister.
Everything looked calm, and as if the people were happy enough, and
never thinking it likely there could be any trouble about Captain
Berriman or anything else.
But the saloon-cabin was so warm down there in the south that I soon
went back on deck to hang over the bulwarks for a time, and then go
right aft to look down at the sparkling water, all ablaze now as it
seemed to rush from both sides of the rudder, where in the daytime all
would be white foam.
I had no duty to perform that night to keep me on deck; but still I
lingered, thinking that perhaps the cabin would be terribly hot, as it
had been on the previous night, only I dropped off to sleep so soon that
the heat did not trouble me.
"And I shall have it all to myself to-night," I thought, "for Walters
will have to take his turn in the watch."
At last, half envying him the task of passing a good deal of the night
on deck, I took a look round. The saloon-lights were out, and there was
no one there; the sailing-lights were up in their places, and the faint
glow rose from about the binnacle, just faintly showing the steersman's
face. Away forward I could hear the low murmur of conversation where
the watch were on duty, and now, for the first time, I yawned, and some
one spoke from close behind me and made me start.
"Well," he said, "if you are so drowsy as that, why don't you go to your
bunk?"
"Just going, sir," I said, for it was the first mate, Mr Brymer; and
now I hurried down, threw off my clothes, and in a very few minutes I
was sound asleep.
I suppose it was the heat, for I don't believe that it had anything to
do with the coming danger, but at any rate I slept badly that night--an
uneasy, troubled kind of sleep, such as I should have expected to have
if some one was to come and call me about two bells.
It must have been about that time that I was lying more asleep than
awake, but sufficiently conscious to spring up in my berth and say quite
aloud--
"Yes; what is it?"
There was no reply, though I could have declared that some one called
me. But though there was no reply, I could hear voices. Some one was
giving orders in a sharp, angry voice; and directly after, I could hear
a scuffling sound, followed by a savage curse uttered in a low voice,
and then there was the sound of a fall.
Something was evidently wrong, and for a few moments I was sure that the
captain had found out about the conversation which had taken place, and
had now taken matters into his hands in no mild fashion. Mr Brymer was
the last man I saw on deck, and without doubt that must be he.
I lay there, with the perspiration oozing out of every pore, and
listened for the next sounds; but all was still for a few moments. Then
there were evidently people running about on deck, and a chill of horror
ran through me as I now noticed that something was wrong with the ship.
For instead of rising and falling steadily as she glided onward, she was
right down in the trough of the sea, and swaying and rolling in a way
that was startling. Fully convinced now that we had gone on a rock or a
sandbank--being ready to imagine anything in my excitement--I rolled out
of my berth and began to hurry on some clothes.
I never dressed more quickly in my life, for as I hastily slipped on my
things, there was the sharp report of a gun or pistol, and a loud crash
as of a door being burst in. Then the hush and quiet was at an end;
there was a piercing shriek, another shot, followed by the sounds of
struggling, loud and angry voices, then cries for help; and I made for
the deck as quickly as I could, to find all in darkness. But men were
running here and there, a sharp voice was giving orders, and then I saw
the flash of a pistol or gun. The report came, there was a low groan,
and then all at once some one rose as it were out of the darkness and
made a blow at me, for I heard the whish of a weapon.
But the blow was made in the dark, and had no effect; but whoever struck
now made a dash at me, and I ducked down, leaped sidewise, and with my
heart in my mouth ran right forward, with whoever it was in pursuit.
I felt that I knew who it was now as I ran. The captain really had gone
mad, and as I ran and heard the steps behind me, fear lent me great
speed. Other people had been shot or cut down, and something terrible
was going on. So I ran for my life to take refuge with the crew in the
forecastle; but as I reached it, there was struggling and fighting going
on there, and I crossed the deck to run back aft on the other side,
meaning to reach Mr Brymer's cabin or Mr Frewen's if I could.
For a moment I fancied that I had evaded my pursuer, but there was
another dash made for me again out of the darkness, and I ran on.
"Look out there, you, sir," cried a voice from behind me; "here comes
one."
This told me that there were enemies in front, and I was ready to dart
anywhere to avoid whoever tried to stop me.
That there was danger I soon found, for struggling, and oaths, and
curses saluted my ears again as I reached the ladder and ran up on to
the poop-deck, just as a shout from near the wheel drove me back.
"Got him?" shouted some one.
"No; where is he?"
I was crouching now under the starboard bulwark, and feeling certain
that in another minute I should be found, I passed my hand upward,
searched about, and found that which I sought, the mizzen-shrouds. The
next minute I had caught well hold with both hands, swung up my feet,
and went on inboard hand over hand till I was twenty feet above the
deck, clinging there in the darkness, and listening to the efforts
made--evidently by three or four men--beneath to find out where I could
be gone.