Some one called, "Ay, ay," and we rolled out again wearily--all except Bill Hayden whose fitful tossing seemed to have settled at last into deep sleep. Coming on deck, we found the ship scudding under close-reefed maintopsail and reefed foresail, with the wind on her larboard quarter. A heavy sea having blown up, all signs indicated that a bad night was before us; and just as we emerged from the hatch, she came about suddenly, which brought the wind on the starboard quarter and laid all aback. In the darkness and rain and wind, we sprang to the ropes. Mr. Kipping was forward at his post on the forecastle and Captain Falk was on the quarter-deck. As the man at the wheel put the helm hard-a-starboard, we raised the fore tack and sheet, filled the foresail and shivered the mainsail, thus bringing the wind aft again, where we met her with the helm and trimmed the yards for her course. For the moment we were safe, but already it was blowing a gale, and shortly we lay to, close-reefed, under what sails we were carrying. In a lull I heard Blodgett, who was pulling at the ropes by my side, say to a man just beyond him, "Ay, it's a good thing for _us_ that Captain Falk got command. We'd never make our bloody fortunes under the old officers." As the wind came again and drowned whatever else may have been said, I thought to myself that they never would have. Plainly, Captain Falk and Kipping had won over the simple-minded crew, which was ready to follow them with never a thought of the chance that that precious pair might run off with the spoils themselves and leave the others in the lurch. But now Kipping's indescribably disagreeable voice, which we all by this time knew so well, asked, "Has anybody seen that sojering old lubber, Hayden?" "Ay, ay, sir," Blodgett replied. "He's below sick." "Sick?" said the mild voice. "Sick is he? Supposing Blodgett, you go below and bring him on deck. He ain't sick, he's sojering." "But, sir,--" Blodgett began. "But what?" roared Kipping. His mildness changed to fierceness. "_You go_!" He snapped out the words, and Blodgett went. Poor stupid old Bill! When he appeared, Blodgett had him by the arm to help him. "You sojering, bloody fool," Kipping cried; "do you think I'm so blind I can't see through such tricks as yours?" A murmur of remonstrance came from the men, but Kipping paid no attention to it. "You think, do you, that I ain't on to your slick tricks? Take that." Bill never flinched. "So!" Kipping muttered. "So! Bring him aft." Though heavy seas had blown up, the squalls had subsided, and some of the men, for the moment unoccupied, trailed at a cautious distance after the luckless Bill. We could not hear what those on the quarterdeck said; but Blodgett, who stood beside me and stared into the darkness with eyes that I was convinced could see by night, cried suddenly, "He's fallen!" Then Captain Falk called, "Come here, two or three of you, and take this man below."