"What do you want?" Noll barked. "Get out of here. Get out of my sight.
Don't stand there gawping...."
"I want to get some...."
"I don't give a damn what you want," Noll cried. "Get up on deck, where
you belong. Sharp...."
Brander stood his ground. "One of my men has cut his hand," he said. "I
want some stuff to fix it up."
Noll wavered.... He threw up his hands. "All right. Get what you
want.... I can't get rid of you any other way. But don't come sneaking
up behind me again. I don't like it, Mr. Brander."
Brander made no reply; he crossed to the medicine chest and found what
he needed. Faith had picked up the fallen board, the cards.... She said
quietly: "Sit down, Noll. We'll deal that hand over again...."
Big Noll sat down, watching Brander sidewise. When Brander was gone,
Faith asked: "Why were you startled?"
"I don't like that man," Noll said. "He's too thick with Mauger for me.
Mauger'll stick a knife in me, some night.... He will, Faith."
Faith shook her head. "Don't be foolish, Noll. Mauger's not worth being
afraid of."
Noll laughed mirthlessly. "I tell you, there's murder in that man," he
protested. "And Brander's with him.... I've a mind...."
"It's your crib," said Faith, and played a card. "Three."
Noll mechanically took up the game; but Faith, watching, saw that his
eyes were furtively alert for half an hour thereafter.
* * * * *
On the twenty-fifth day after the death of Mr. Ham, at about ten o'clock
on a warm and lazy morning, the man at the foremast head gave tongue to
the long hail of the whale-fisheries....
"Blo-o-o-o-w! Ah-h-h-h-h blo-o-o-o-o-o-w!"
The droning cry swept down through the singing rigging, swept the decks
of the _Sally_, penetrated into the fo'c's'le, dropped into the cabin
and brought Dan'l Tobey and Noll Wing from sleep there to the deck.
Faith was already there, sewing in her rocking chair aft by the wheel.
When Dan'l reached the deck, he saw her standing with her sewing
gathered in her hands, the gold thimble gleaming on her middle finger,
watching Brander. Brander was half way up the main rigging, glass
leveled to the southward.
Noll Wing bellowed to the masthead man: "Where away?..." And the man
swept a hand to point. Noll climbed up toward Brander, shouting to Mr.
Tobey to bring the _Sally_ around toward where the whale had been
sighted. The men from the mastheads and the fo'c's'le and all about the
deck jumped to their places at the boats to wait the command to lower.
Brander took the glass from his eye as Noll's weight pulled at the
rigging below him, and looked down at the captain, and started to speak;
then he changed his mind and waited, glass in hand, while Noll
scrutinized the far horizon....
Noll saw a black speck there, and focused his glass, and stared.... He
watched for a spout, watched for minutes on end. None came.... The black
speck seemed to rise a little, sluggishly, with the swell.... He looked
up to Brander.
"D'you make a spout?" he asked.