"Well," I said, "been to the captain?" "Yes, Mr Dale, sir, and have taken him a beautiful basin of broth. Let me give you one." "No, not now," I said, though I felt tempted to say yes. "Did you take Mr Walters his provisions?" "I did, sir, with Mr Brymer looking on all the time." "Does he seem very bad?" "Well, sir, he pulled a long face, but I don't think there's much the matter with him. He can eat readily enough." "I say, cook," I half whispered, "you were a good deal on deck?" "No, sir, not much, I was busy here. The crew ate a deal." "But you knew about Mr Walters being shut up in the cable-tier?" The cook glanced uneasily toward the forecastle-hatch and shook his head. "They can't hear you," I said, "and even if they could they can't get at you." "I don't know, sir," he whispered; "that Jarette's got ears such as no man before ever had. I've often thought it isn't hearing he has, but a kind of knowing." "Oh, he's knowing enough!" I said, laughing. "I don't mean that, Mr Dale," he whispered. "I mean there's something uncanny about him, as the Scotch people say, and he can tell what you are thinking about without your saying it." "Oh, nonsense!" "It arn't nonsense, sir, and there's more about him than you think for. Why, he can do anything with the men. They're not only afraid of him, but they're obliged to do what he wants, and if I was Mr Brymer, sir, I shouldn't rest till he was put in a boat and sent off to shift for himself." "You think he's dangerous then?" "Ah, that he is, sir; and if he isn't hatching out something row to surprise you all, I don't know mutton from beef." I looked sharply at the cook, for his words chimed in with a kind of fancy I had that the people in the forecastle were not so silent for nothing. "Ah, well," I said, "I dare say we shall be ready for him if he does try to play any pranks. But you didn't tell me about Mr Walters." The cook gave a sharp glance round. "What's the matter?" I asked. "I don't seem to like to talk about him, sir," he whispered. "He never forgets anything, and never forgives anybody. I wouldn't say a word against him for worlds." "I don't ask you to," I said; "I only asked you why Mr Walters was shut up in the cable-tier?" "Jarette don't like him, sir. He found him very useful for stealing pistols and cartridges, and fastening people in the cabins, but once he got all he wanted, though he made a fuss with him and encouraged him to strut about, and called him his lieutenant, he used to be always looking at him ugly-like, and I got to think that before long there would be a row." "And there was?"