The state-room into which Walford was thus unceremoniously ushered was divided from the saloon by a bulkhead with a door in it, the upper panel of which was fitted with sloping slats like those of the Venetian window-blinds of the present day; it was perfectly easy, therefore, for an occupant of the state-room to hear all that passed in the saloon, and _vice versa_. As a matter of fact, Rudd, who was lying in his berth, broad awake, _had_ heard every word uttered during the course of the trial, and shrewdly suspecting that his shipmates were more anxious to thoroughly frighten than to actually hurt their fourth prisoner, and having, moreover, a trifling personal grudge against the man who had secured for him his flogging, he determined to have a little amusement at Walford's expense before according to him the pardon which he knew his shipmates expected of him. When, therefore, Walford staggered up to the side of the berth, and began eagerly and incoherently to stammer forth the most abject apologies and the wildest prayers for forgiveness, Rudd simply growled forth an oath and impatiently flung himself over in the berth with his back to the petitioner. This had the intended effect of causing Walford's apologies and prayers to be reiterated with increased eagerness and incoherence, to the hearty amusement of the men in the saloon. At length Talbot opened the state-room door, and, thrusting in his head, said roughly-- "Here, come out of that, mister; you've worried poor Dicky quite long enough. If he won't forgive yer, why, he _won't_, and that settles it. You've had a fair chance to see what you could do with him, and you've failed; we decided to give yer a quarter of a hour, and the time's up; so out you comes; d'ye hear?" The next moment Walford was seized by the collar, and was being dragged roughly enough out of the state-room, when Rudd, pretending to relent, called out-- "There, take him away, Ben; but don't be too hard on him; I forgives him just this once, and I hopes he won't never do it again." Walford, upon hearing these words, which seemed to him a reprieve from the very jaws of death, broke away from Talbot's grasp, and, rushing back to the side of the berth, seized Rudd's hand, kissed it wildly, and burst into an uncontrollable passion of tears, in the midst of which he was hustled unceremoniously out on deck. CHAPTER EIGHT. A DOUBLE TRAGEDY. A moment or two in the open air sufficed to settle in some measure Walford's disordered faculties and to restore to him his reason, of which he had been pretty nearly bereft by the terror of the preceding half-hour. He found himself in the midst of the--by this time--more than half-intoxicated seamen, none of whom appeared to be paying much attention to him, for they were all talking loudly together, discussing and arranging the details of the punishment of those whom they chose to regard as the two chief offenders.