"Yes," said the doctor, turning to Mr Denning, "I shall have another
one. Forgive me for speaking, Mr Denning, but I think you ought to go
back to your cabin now and remove your wet things."
"You mean well, sir," said Mr Denning, courteously, "but I am wanted
here."
"Not now, sir," said the mate. "I think we can manage, and if you would
hold yourself in readiness to turn out if we raise an alarm that would
be enough."
"I am here, and I have faced so much of the storm and trouble that I
will see it through now."
No one attempted to argue with him, and the watch was resumed, with the
ship tearing through the water before the storm, for short-handed as we
were, Mr Brymer shrank from attempting to alter her course, or riding
head to wind.
From time to time there was a stir below, and voices rose angrily, but
we could always hear Jarette's shrill utterances, and he generally
seemed to calm the men down, or to master them, with the result that the
angry sounds ceased and gave place to a low murmuring as if some plan
were being discussed. After this had been going on some time, on one
occasion Mr Brymer, who had been aft at the wheel with Bob Hampton and
had returned in time to hear the talking, shook his head and said to Mr
Frewen--
"That sounds bad. They're hatching a new plot against us. It is like
having your ship on fire somewhere amongst the cargo in a place where
you cannot reach. It goes on smouldering day after day, and you are in
the full expectation of its breaking out. You don't know when, but you
are sure that it must come before long."
"I was thinking something of the kind," replied the doctor.
And so was I, though I did not speak. And in addition, I had an idea in
my head that I could not work out, and while I was trying I had another
idea. The first one was, that if by any means we could catch Jarette,
the mutiny would all fall to pieces; but then the job was to catch the
rascal, and that puzzled me.
It was very close to daylight; and cold, low-spirited, and miserable, I
was beginning to think that between the storm and the men below, the
poor old Burgh Castle must come to grief, when Bob Hampton came up
glistening in his oilskins.
"I were to come and say as the lady's got jorums o' hot coffee ready,
sir, in the captain's cabin. Mr Denning and Mr Dale's to go first,
and I'm to take the watch till they comes back."
I saw Mr Denning wince and dart a sharp look at the doctor, but the
latter did not turn his head, and once more we began fighting our way
back, with the ship seeming at times quite to dance on the tops of the
waves.
But we reached the shelter in safety, and as soon as we were under cover
I felt sure that the wind was not so fierce, and said so.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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