"Hush," said I, "what is that?" There was a buzz on deck, and a rattling up the ladder of the people from below, and we could hear a voice say, "Mr De Walden! he is not in the berth below,"--another responded, "The captain's steward says he is not in the cabin."--"Is Mr De Walden forward there, boatswain?"--"No," sung out a gruff voice, sounding low, and mollified by distance,--"No Mr De Walden here." "Is Mr De Walden aft there?" continued little Binnacle. "No sir--no." A sudden light flashed on me--I trembled, and a chill curdled the blood at my heart, for I had not seen him since we had hove the schooner on the reef. I ran on deck, but as I ascended the ladder, "Pooh," said I to myself, "all nonsense--why put myself into a flurry?" And as I stepped off the ladder, little Binnacle called down the main-hatchway-- "I say, De Walden--Henry--Henry De Walden--come on deck, man--come on deck--this is no time for skylarking--Mr Lanyard is on deck." Several gruff voices replied from below, "Mr De Walden is _not_ here, sir."--"No Mr De Walden here." The buzz increased--"Is Mr De Walden forward there?" "No." "Is he below?" "No, sir, no--no Mr De Walden here." Old Bloody Politeful, kind-hearted soul as he always was, had now also turned out--"Why, Brail, what is all this bother about?" "My dear Sprawl," said I, greatly excited, "young De Walden is nowhere to be seen." "Nonsense," rejoined he; "why, he was standing close beside me the whole time we were crossing the bar, even up to the time when I was fool enough to _squir_ my old hat over the masthead." "And so he was," chimed in Pumpbolt. "Then beat to quarters," said Mr Lanyard;--"the gallant youngster never missed muster yet--Desire them to beat to quarters, Mr Marline." "Ay, ay, sir," responded the midshipman. All hands turned out promptly. "Men," said the lieutenant--"Mr De Walden is missing.--Have any of you seen him?" "No, sir,--none of us have seen him since the strange schooner struck." "Have you overhauled the midshipmen's berth, Mr Marline?" "Yes, sir." "The whole ship has been searched," said little Binnacle, who had just returned from below; "cable-tier, hold, and all. The boatswain and carpenter have been all over her. The gunner has even looked into the magazine. Mr De Walden _is not_ on board, sir."