Thus Brander came into the cabin. He and Willis Cox shared a small
compartment off the main cabin; while Dan'l and tigerish old Tichel
shared another. The four mates, Roy, Noll Wing, and Faith all lived in a
space not much more than twenty-five feet square. This intimacy that
could not be escaped served to intensify the clash of man and man.
Brander and Dan'l Tobey became, within the week, open and avowed
enemies.
They made no great show of their enmity, but each understood. Dan'l, by
virtue of his position as mate, gradually gathered into his own hands
the authority that old Noll Wing was letting slip; he assumed many of
the small prerogatives of the captain; and he took advantage of his
strength to give Brander irksome tasks, to make his work unnecessarily
hard. Noll saw nothing. He had fallen into something like a stupor; he
was rotting at the heart, like a great log that lies prone in the
forest. He played with his authority; he had days when he liked to fancy
that he was the Noll of old; but most of the time he spent in the cabin
below, sleeping, or perhaps drinking, or reading the Bible and
maundering over his own past sins. A wholesome interest in the Bible is
a good thing for any man; but Noll's interest was not wholesome. He was
morbidly absorbed in the Book; he read it and mourned to think how
wicked he had been. He complained to Faith as though she were to blame
for his ancient crimes.
It came to pass that he flooded Faith, little by little, with the
details of his own misdemeanors. His own orgy of self-depreciation led
him to decide that he was not worthy of her; he told her so; and when
Faith sought to hearten him, the man--to prove his point--recited the
tale of the hot blood of his youth. He told her the women he had known,
so that Faith was sickened; and he begged her to forgive him, and she
did. She forgave without rancor.... It was characteristic of Faith that
she held no anger against Noll because he was not what she thought him.
She had married him, eyes open.... He was her husband; she was his. She
set herself to serve him, to protect him against himself, with all the
loyalty that was in her. And more than all, she set herself to uphold
Noll as the master of his ship. He must bring the _Sally_ home with
bursting casks; that was Faith's creed and prayer. He must fight the
good fight; he must meet his responsibility; he must be master....
She worked to this end unceasingly; and on the whole her efforts were
without avail. Noll steadily degenerated.... His strength fled from him.
Faith was so concerned with Noll that she gave little heed to the
hostility between Dan'l Tobey and Brander. These two fought their fight
without her interference. And this struggle between them was a curious
thing. On Dan'l's side, it was a constant and persistent effort to
harass Brander and discredit him; on Brander's side, it was a
good-natured opposition to this effort. When Dan'l gave Brander two
men's work to do, Brander smiled--and did it. When Dan'l blamed Brander
for what was another's fault, or no fault of any man, Brander silently
and cheerfully took the blame. Now and then he looked at Dan'l with a
blue flash of anger in his eyes; but for the most part he was
good-humored; he seemed amused by Dan'l, nothing more.
Dan'l chose, one day, to take Brander to task at dinner in the cabin.
Noll and Faith were there, and the four mates. Brander, as was his duty,
came down last; he sat at the foot of the board. The _Sally_ was
cruising idly, watching for a spout. Brander and Willis Cox had been on
deck before dinner. There was little for either of them to do, save
watch for any chance of harm, or wait for word of a whale.
When Brander came down, he caught Faith's eye from the foot of the
companion ladder, and Faith nodded and said: "Good morning." Brander
smiled. Dan'l looked at Faith; and he looked at Brander; and he gripped
his chair to hold back a hot word that would have ruined him. Brander
sat down at the foot of the table. Noll seemed scarce to know he had
come, and Faith nodded to Brander to pass his plate. Brander did so, and
Faith served him. The plate went back to Brander.
Dan'l said slowly: "Mr. Brander, the main hatch was not fast when I came
down. Did you secure it?"