He spoke as quietly as ever, but there was a deadly ring in his voice for all that. “I’ll give you till I count three,” said he, at last, and then he began to count, “one,—two—” Jack looked around, with despair in his eyes. The captain smiled. “Stand where you are,” said he, and then his teeth and tongue began to form the “th—” Jack Baldwin was no coward; but would you yourself have stood still and be shot down like a dog? It would have been a brave man indeed—a foolishly brave man—that would have done such a thing. I will not tell the rest. It is enough to say that Jack _did_ do that which the captain ordered him, and that before the whole ship’s company. “You are wise,” said Captain Knight, dryly, and then he thrust the pistol back again into his belt, and, turning on his heel, went into his cabin. Jack got up slowly from his knees. His face was haggard and drawn. He looked at no one, but went to the side of the ship and stood gazing into the water. Tom saw him a half an hour afterward, standing just in the same way, and in the same place. When the captain had gone into his cabin, Tom turned to the pumps again. “Shake her up!—— your eyes! Shake her up!” roared he. It was the first time that he ever used an oath to the men under him, and it is hard to tell why he used it then, for in his heart he did not believe that he was long for this life. Then the men fell to pumping again, but what little life they had left was all gone out of them now. CHAPTER VIII. THAT evening Tom took a scrambling meal in the cuddy; it was the last that he had aboard of the _Nancy Hazlewood_. The darkness came on early, and the wind still held as heavy as ever when night fell. At that time the ship was very low in the water astern, and Tom did not expect her to live till morning. Even to this day it is a mystery to him why she did not founder long before she did. It was plain that even the sailors themselves felt that there was no hope; they were dull, lifeless and spiritless. Those who were not working at the pumps, stood around the forecastle, or lay in their hammocks; all were quiet, excepting where one or two were talking together in low tones. Of course, there was no sleep to be had for Tom that night. He had stood by the pumps since early in the morning, and was nearly exhausted, for there were times when he could feel the water washing around his waist. One after another the men would drop the brakes, altogether done up, but there was no chance for him to leave his station and get a little rest. Jack had done nothing since his encounter with Captain Knight, the afternoon before. Captain Knight himself did not come out of his cabin, so Tom seemed to be the only officer in charge of the ship. “Shake her up, lads! Shake her up!” cried he, whenever there were signs of flagging at the pumps, and he repeated these words so often that he began to say them mechanically.