"All next day," McCarthy went on, "the blow grew worse. They reefed down sail until we were flying along under top and foresails. The funny thing was that here and there the sky was blue. You 'd have thought all was going to get fair in an hour or two, but it did n't. And the captain stood by the man at the wheel and looked worried. "You had to shout to make yourself heard. 'Ain't it going to calm down, Captain?' I says. "'I don't know,' he says. 'I wish to God I was out of these islands,' he says. 'If I was all alone in the middle of the Pacific, I would n't give a damn, but these here coral insects,' he says, 'they 're always building, and they sure do bother me. And these charts of the Marquesas,' he says, 'they ain't worth a damn. I wish I was out of these islands,' he says; 'I sure do.' "'Oh, you 'll be all right, Cap,' I says. "'You get for'a'd out o' here,' he barks at me. "'I 'll talk to you later about that,' I says, but I goes off, because I see he 's worried. "All we get to eat that day is a cup of coffee and a sandwich. And night comes and we 're still plunging on. "And then we hear thunder. "Janssen won't turn in. She 's scared, she says, and she sticks by me. And the thunder keeps up, and comes closer, and it gets very dark. "'What's that?' Janssen says. "'It strikes me it is n't thunder at all. It's some boat in distress firing a gun,' I tells her. 'It's too bad we can't do anything for them. But I don't think we can.' "'I 'm afraid, McCarthy,' Janssen says. 'That's no gun.' "'Maybe it's a lot of guns,' I says. 'Maybe it's the French navy practising. They take a funny night for it,' I says. "'I 'm scared, McCarthy,' she whimpers, and comes close. "'We 'll be all right,' I tells her. "'I 'm scared,' she cries. 'Put your arms around me, McCarthy, please.' "'Oh, come off!' I tells her. That game don't go, Janssen. What's the use?' "'I 'm scared, honest. They's something going to happen.' The boat does a little jazz step, and the guns is right in our ears. And overhead, Judge, the stars were out. 'Please take me in your arms, McCarthy--just like I was your sister.' "'Well, you ain't just like you was my sister. And they 's been too many arms around you for me to put mine. But you can hold on to me,' I says. "And then my teeth come together with a jar and my spine is near driven through my skull, and something hits me on the head. And all the water in the world comes over me. And I know nothing."