Wetherly and the other man who had entered with him lifted the body, placed it in the bunk, and threw a blanket over it. We then quitted the cabin, leaving the lamp burning, though, I fancy, nobody noticed that but myself; and the carpenter put a little wedge of wood under the door to keep it shut. The sailors slowly walked away out on to the quarter-deck, casting inquisitive glances around them, and at Miss Temple, as they withdrew. The carpenter came to a stand at the table, and turning his surly face upon me, exclaimed in his deep-sea, bad-tempered voice: ‘What’s to be done now?’ ‘There’s nothing for it,’ I answered, ‘but to make for the nearest port, and Rio will be that.’ ‘Ay; but that ain’t the question just at present,’ he exclaimed. ‘What I mean is, what’s the discipline agoing to be?’ ‘Why, of course,’ I exclaimed, ‘I must render all the assistance I possibly can. If the crew consent, I shall be happy to keep watch and watch with you. In any case, I’ll navigate the ship. Very fortunately, I can do so.’ ‘It’ll be a matter for the crew,’ said he, talking with his eyes upon the deck and speaking after a pause. ‘To-morrow morning will be time enough to settle what’s to be done. I kep’ a lookout from eight to twelve to-night; and if you’ll stand this here middle watch, I’ll be a relieving of ye at four; and arter breakfast, giving you time to get some sleep, I’ll call the crew aft, and we’ll see what they’ve got to say, now there ain’t neither mate nor capt’n left.’ ‘But you are the mate; the acting second mate,’ I cried, sensible of an indefinable misgiving that grew rapidly into an emotion of cold and heart-sickening consternation. ‘I tell ye _no_, sir!’ he shouted; ‘I’m no second mate. I signed on as ship’s carpenter, and I’ve told ye so. Since Mr. Chicken died, I’ve been treated by that man there’—he pointed with a square forefinger to the cabin door—‘worse than any mongrel dog that e’er a blunderbuss was brought to bear on. _Me_ a second mate?’ He struck his breast in a sort of frenzy with his clenched fist and grinned in my face. ‘Very well,’ said I, forcing a note of composure into my voice; ‘it is a mere detail of routine, which we can settle to-morrow, as you say.’ ‘All right,’ he exclaimed; and pulling his skin cap down over his head, he trudged on his rounded legs out of the cuddy. ‘I must go on deck, Miss Temple,’ said I. She was eyeing me, as though bereft of speech, when I addressed her. ‘I will accompany you,’ she exclaimed. ‘No! It is out of the question.’ ‘Why?’ she cried imperiously, with the irritability of dismay and dread in her manner. ‘I shall be on deck till four. Such a spell of exposure it will be needless for you to undergo. You are perfectly safe in your cabin.’ ‘How _dare_ you ask me to return to that horrible lonely part of the ship?’ she cried, with wrath and alarm brilliant in her eyes. ‘Then take some rest upon that locker there.’