At that, I was confident of a burst of temper from the Second; and yet, for the second time within a couple of minutes I was wrong. Instead of cursing Stubbins, he, after a moment's pause, went on up the rigging, without another word, and the rest of us followed. We reached the royal, and made short work of it; indeed, there were sufficient of us to have eaten it. When we had finished, I noticed that the Second Mate remained on the yard until we were all in the rigging. Evidently, he had determined to take a full share of any risk there might be; but I took care to keep pretty close to him; so as to be on hand if anything happened; yet we reached the deck again, without anything having occurred. I have said, without anything having occurred; but I am not really correct in this; for, as the Second Mate came down over the crosstrees, he gave a short, abrupt cry. "Anything wrong, Sir?" I asked. "No--o!" he said. "Nothing! I banged my knee." And yet _now_, I believe he was lying. For, that same watch, I was to hear men giving just such cries; but, God knows, they had reason enough. X _Hands That Plucked_ Directly we reached the deck, the Second Mate gave the order: "Mizzen t'gallant clewlines and buntlines," and led the way up on to the poop. He went and stood by the haulyards, ready to lower away. As I walked across to the starboard clewline, I saw that the Old Man was on deck, and as I took hold of the rope, I heard him sing out to the Second Mate. "Call all hands to shorten sail, Mr. Tulipson." "Very good, Sir," the Second Mate replied. Then he raised his voice: "Go forrard, you, Jessop, and call all hands to shorten sail. You'd better give them a call in the bosun's place, as you go." "i, i, Sir," I sung out, and hurried off. As I went, I heard him tell Tammy to go down and call the Mate. Reaching the fo'cas'le, I put my head in through the starboard doorway, and found some of the men beginning to turn-in. "It's all hands on deck, shorten sail," I sung out. I stepped inside. "Just wot I said," grumbled one of the men. "They don't damn well think we're goin' aloft to-night, after what's happened?" asked another. "We've been up to the main royal," I answered. "The Second Mate went with us." "Wot?" said the first man. "Ther Second Mate hisself?" "Yes," I replied. "The whole blooming watch went up." "An' wot 'appened?" he asked. "Nothing," I said. "Nothing at all. We just made a mouthful apiece of it, and came down again." "All the same," remarked the second man, "I don't fancy goin' upstairs, after what's happened." "Well," I replied. "It's not a matter of fancy. We've got to get the sail off her, or there'll be a mess. One of the 'prentices told me the glass is falling." "Come erlong, boys. We've got ter du it," said one of the older men, rising from a chest, at this point. "What's it duin' outside, mate?" "Raining," I said. "You'll want your oilskins."